THE    PRIVATEERS 


"I  saw  her  draw  bacK" 


Set  pagt  l!) 


The  Privateers 

BY 

H.  B.  MARRIOTT  WATSON 

Author  of  "Hurricane  Island," 
"Captain  Fortune,"  etc. 


Copyright,  1906-1907,  by 
H.  B.  Marriott  Watson 

Published,  February,  1907 

All  rights  reserved, 

including  that  of  translation  into  foreign  language* t 
including  the  Scandinavian 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  ?ACB 

I.  The  American  on  the  Links               .          .  3 

II.     Sylvia  Lovell 15 

III.  The  Second  Man  .          .          .          .  33 

IV.  The  Abduction      .          .  %  .          .  51 
V.  Morning  Glory      .....  70 

VI.     The  Chase 89 

VII.  The  Factotum       .          .          .          .          .  no 

VIII.  Breaking  out  of  Chateau  Cabriac       .          .  131 

IX.  The  Osier  Swamp           .          .          .          .  148 

X.  The  Affray  on  the  Sands          .          .          .  166 

XI.     The  Mist 180 

XII.  The  Mermaid       .....  204 

XIII.  The  Rising 222 

XIV.  The  Fight  in  the  Dark  ...  241 
XV.  At  the  "Petits  Oiseaux"         .          .         .  258 

XVI.     The  A.  K.  U 274 

XVII.  Running  the  Blockade               .          .          .  290 

XVIII.  The  Coming  of  the  Tide         .         ...  306 

XIX.  In  the  Pine  Wood          .         .          .          .  324 

XX.  The  Quarry  Doubles      .          .         .         .  342 

XXI.      Alston  at  Bay 356 

XXII.  The  Last  Chase              .         .         .         .  376 


2138815 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  I  saw  her  draw  back"  ....  Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

"  She  trod  on  a  stone,  stumbled,  and  would  have  gone  over 

if  I  had  not  caught  her  by  the  arm  "  .  .  .        6 

"He  staggered,  and  fell  forward  with  both  hands  instinc- 
tively outstretched  to  save  himself  "  .  .  .30 

"  The  two  vehicles  crashed  into  one  another  in  the  narrow 

lane"         .......      66 

"  Alston  stood  looking  down  on  the  hysterical  woman  with 

pre-occupation  and  indifference  in  his  eye  ".  .      72 

"  It  was  only  when  I  slipped  the  serviette  into  his  mouth 

that  he  gave  in "  .  .  .  .  .126 

"  I  lifted  one  end  gently  and  slipped  the  note  well  into  the 

mess  ".......     136 

"  After  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  recover  his  balance  he 

fell  headlong  into  the  slime  "    .  .  .  .164 

"  The  figure  in  the  bow  raised  his  arm  and  the  magazine 

rifle  answered  to  his  finger  "     .  .  .  .176 

"  With  the  utmost  difficulty  did  I  keep  my  position  of 

vantage " .  .  .  .  .  .  .    202 

"  He  was  left,  a  figure  of  ridicule,  in  an  open  boat  "  .212 

"  Fire  belched  across  Butterfield's  shoulder  "  .  .     238 

"  I  was  out  on  the  sands  in  a  moment,  with  the  agile  But- 

terfield  at  my  heels  "       .....     302 

"  I  ran  forward.     '  Miss  Lovell !  '  I  shouted  "  .  .312 

"  My  eyes  went  hopelessly  towards  the  cliff  top  "    .  .318 

"  '  I  don't  care  if  you  keep  that  girl  or  not,  Fordyce,  but 

we've  got  to  see  her  right  away '  "       .  .  360 

PRIVATEER— cur  on 


DRAMATIS    PERSONS 

LIEUTENANT  KERSLAKE,  R.N.,  the  narrator. 

HERBERT  FORDYCE  ALSTON,  an  American  oper- 
ator, who  is  engaged  to  Sylvia  Lovell. 

WILSON  RUDGWICK,  an  American  operator,  in- 
terested in  railways  and  other  things. 

NATHANIEL  BUTTERFIELD,  his  factotum. 

JUDE  BACON,  the  captain  of  Rudgwick's  yacht. 

SYLVIA  LOVELL,  a  beautiful  English  girl,  who 
unwittingly  becomes  the  shuttlecock  between 
battledores. 

MRS.  LOVELL,  her  mother. 


THE    PRIVATEERS 


THE  PRIVATEERS 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  AMERICAN  ON  THE  LINKS 

THE  first  time  I  saw  Miss  Lovell  was  about 
six  of  a  fine  evening  in  early  summer.  I 
had  crossed  from  Portsmouth  to  Ryde, 
and  taken  the  ridiculous  toy  train  of  the  Island 
railway  as  far  as  Bembridge  in  order  to  enjoy  a 
game  of  golf  on  the  links.  I  had  done  the  same 
thing  a  dozen  times  during  my  gunnery  course, 
though  I  usually  went  over  to  Hayling  Island  to 
indulge  my  taste  for  golf.  But  the  links  at  St. 
Helen's  are  prettily  situated,  not  too  difficult  for 
a  beginner,  and  the  sun  that  June  day  was  fiery. 
I  think  those  were  the  inducements  that  took  me 
over.  Portsmouth  was  hot  and  stuffy,  but  a 
breeze  blew  out  in  the  Solent,  and  upon  the 
eastern  coast  of  the  Island  the  flags  were  cracking 
in  the  wind  that  came  up  that  open  channel  with 
a  freshness  unfelt  on  the  southern  shores  of  the 
mainland. 

It  was  the  wind  that  drew  my  eyes  to  Miss 
Lovell.     I  finished  my  round  early,  and,  refusing 


4  THE  PRIVATEERS 

to  join  a  foursome,  was  ferried  into  Bembridge 
across  the  mouth  of  Brading  harbour.  The 
harbour  was  lively  with  the  picturesque  little 
boats  of  the  yacht  club,  and  some  bigger  shipping 
loomed  against  the  summer  green  of  the  rising 
ground  behind.  Out  of  Bembridge  I  took  a 
route  that  led  me  over  the  hills  and  towards  the 
open  downs.  This  corner  of  the  Island  stands 
sentinel  in  the  Channel,  with,  as  it  were,  one  eye 
upon  France,  and  the  other  eastwards  towards 
the  narrowing  straits  of  Dover.  Between  Bem- 
bridge and  Sandown  on  the  south  the  chalk  bulges 
towards  the  sea,  rolling  in  the  characteristic 
manner  of  chalk,  in  rounded  masses  inland,  and 
presenting  a  scarped  and  formidable  white  face  to 
the  charging  water.  It  was  on  these  gently 
swelling  downs  that  I  met  Miss  Lovell. 

The  wind  by  this  time  had  risen  to  a  petty  gale, 
and  came  over  the  brow  of  the  cliffs  from  the  sea 
with  considerable  force.  The  blue  sea  was 
aglitter  with  foam-heads,  and  in  the  dim  haze  of 
the  horizon  one  seemed  to  discern,  or  imagine,  the 
mass  of  the  adjacent  continent.  Sea-birds  cried 
and  flew  'twixt  the  cliff  and  the  water,  and  a 
small  steamer  ploughed  heavily  across  the  middle 
distance,  rounding  the  Island  from  Shanklin  or 
Ventnor.  I  made  these  observations  with  a 
mind  pleasantly  and  idly  occupied,  and  then  I 
turned  and  saw  Miss  Lovell. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  5 

She  was  at  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  a  hundred 
yards  away,  and  I  do  not  think  she  was  aware  of 
my  presence.  She  gave  me  at  that  distance  but 
the  impression  of  a  white  figure,  with  blown 
skirts,  for  the  wind  was  romping  with  her.  Yet 
even  so  I  was  attracted  by  the  picture  she  made, 
instinct  apparently  with  youth  and  freshness,  and 
facing  that  deep  void  beneath  her  with  the 
magnificent  unconsciousness  of  health.  And  so 
in  my  course  I  moved  slowly  in  her  direction, 
with  some  curiosity  to  see  her  closer,  that  innocent 
curiosity  which  is  bred  in  a  holiday  mood  and  in 
a  place  of  strangers.  It  was  when  I  was  already 
within  a  dozen  paces  of  her  that  she  withdrew  her 
gaze  from  the  sea,  and  turned  to  go.  Then  I  had 
a  clear  sight  of  her.  She  was  above  the  mean 
height  of  women,  as  young  as  the  spring,  frank  and 
bright  of  eye,  and  full  of  warm  blood.  To  that 
her  complexion  spoke,  for  her  face  was  delicately 
flushed  and  happy.  She  almost  smiled  at  me,  as 
our  looks  met,  and  I  was  conscious  that  it  would 
have  been  the  smile  of  mere  animal  content;  or 
rather,  I  should  say  the  ebullition  of  an  innocent 
child  abandoned  to  its  mood.  As  it  was,  the 
habit  of  restraint  which  in  that  exhilaration  she 
had  thrown  aside  returned  in  time;  and  she 
passed  me  with  a  very  proper  face,  demure  and 
conscious;  but  the  wanton  wind  still  played 
tricks  with  her  skirt. 


6  THE  PRIVATEERS 

As  she  walked  away  from  the  edge  it  blew  up 
the  fichu  of  her  muslin  frock,  and  cast  it  as  a  net 
about  her  face.  She  put  her  head  on  one  side, 
instinctively  to  regain  her  freedom,  and  tried  to 
withdraw  the  web  of  lace  with  one  hand.  But 
the  gust  was  still  flying,  and  pressed  the  wrap 
harder  upon  her.  I  suppose  it  blinded  her.  At 
any  rate  she  turned  round,  with  her  face  away 
from  me  to  disentangle  herself,  stepping  care- 
lessly backward  as  she  did  so.  Her  reckless 
youth  was  responsible  for  the  act,  and  I  do  not 
imagine  it  would  have  had  any  serious  conse- 
quences. She  trod  on  a  stone,  stumbled  and 
would  have  gone  over  if  I  had  not  caught  her  by 
the  arm.  In  point  of  fact  she  was  staggering  to 
recover  her  balance  for  some  few  seconds  ere  I 
reached  her.  But  I  certainly  think  she  would 
have  fallen  and  she  was  of  the  same  opinion. 

"  Thank  you  so  much, "  she  said  breathlessly,  as 
she  succeeded  in  ridding  herself  of  her  gag.  "  It 
was  stupid  of  me. " 

"  It  was  the  wind, "  said  I  civilly. 

She  had  by  this  quite  recovered,  and  we  were 
face  to  face.  Hers  was  oval,  soft-skinned,  and 
now  wore  a  deeper  flush.  Her  beauty  matched 
her  figure  and  her  courage. 

"I  was  enjoying  the  air,"  she  explained  con- 
fusedly. There  was  really  no  reason  why  she 
should  explain  to  me,  and  besides  it  was  obvious 


'She  trod  on  a  stone,  stumbled,  and  would  have  «one  over 
if  I  had  not  caught  her  by  the  arm" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  7 

that  she  had  been  so  occupied.  But  my  remark 
was  equally  unnecessary. 

"  It's  beautiful,  isn't  it  ? " 

I  think  we  went  three  or  four  steps  together 
before  it  dawned  on  her  that  it  was  unusual  to  be 
walking  with  a  stranger,  even  if  he  had  saved  her 
from  a  fall. 

"  Thank  you  very  much, "  she  said  in  her  pretty 
voice .  ' '  Good  evening. ' ' 

I  returned  her  good-evening,  and  resumed  my 
walk.  I  watched  her  go  over  the  rises,  until  I 
lost  her  in  the  hollows,  and  then  I  turned  and 
made  my  way  back  to  Bembridge.  In  my 
thoughts  I  put  her  down  as  a  very  pretty  girl  of 
twenty  with  the  promise  of  greater  beauty  in 
greater  maturity.  Her  face,  her  voice,  and  her 
manner  alike  had  attracted  me.  But  she  had 
gone  over  the  hills,  Heaven  knew  .whither,  while  I 
had  finished  my  gunnery  course,  and  should  be 
gone  in  a  week  even  from  Portsmouth. 

There  did  not,  however,  seem  any  adequate 
reason  why  I  should  be  gone  from  Bembridge 
that  night.  As  a  matter  of  fact  at  dinner  in 
the  hotel  I  made  an  arrangement  to  play  on 
the  following  morning.  I  am  no  hand  at  golf 
to  this  day,  but  it  has  a  fascination  for  me,  and  if 
I  can  find  a  man  who  is  not  too  greatly  my 
superior  I  am  willing  to  fight  him.  My  opponent 
of  the  morrow  was  not  much  better  than  I, 


8  THE  PRIVATEERS 

and  I  had  determined  to  beat  him,  if  I  could ; 
I  am  supposed  to  be  an  obstinate  man  in  the 
service. 

In  the  smoking-room  were  several  members  of 
the  club  and  other  visitors  to  the  Island,  and  here 
the  talk  circled  airily,  as  is  the  habit,  about  the 
game.  Cricketers  may  well  bore  those  un- 
interested in  the  sport  by  their  excessive  devotion 
to  it,  and  base-bailers  may  easily  fire  the  un- 
initiated with  their  technicalities ;  but  I  know  no 
one  so  wearisome  with  his  "shop"  as  the  golfer. 
I  was  listening  with  one  ear  to  the  desultory 
comments  while  I  lent  two  eyes  to  an  illustrated 
magazine,  when  among  the  exchanges  of  conver- 
sation I  heard  a  new  note  and  a  new  voice.  I  do 
not  know  what  made  me  look  up.  Certainly  it 
was  with  no  conscious  curiosity  that  I  did  so. 
Perhaps  it  was  that  I  merely  recognised  the  voice 
as  American,  and  thus  a  little  more  individual 
among  the  several  voices  of  the  room.  At  any 
rate  I  did  glance  across  to  the  group,  and  thus 
Herbert  Fordyce  Alston  passed  at  once  into  my 
sight  and  life. 

He  was  tall  and  somewhat  elegantly  built  but 
his  head  seemed  slightly  to  overbalance  his  body. 
Perhaps  this  impression  was  due  to  the  heavy 
moustache  he  wore,  which  swept  in  two  great 
arcs  across  his  cheeks  and  protruded  thus  upon 
the  surrounding  vacancy  of  air.  But  the  breadth 


THE  PRIVATEERS  9 

of  his  brow  and  the  mass  of  his  sleek  hair,  worn 
rather  long,  and  parted  in  the  middle,  probably 
helped  to  give  emphasis  to  his  head.  He  held  a 
cigar  in  one  hand  which  was  jewelled  on  three 
ringers,  and  it  wagged  to  give  point  to  his  agree- 
ment. As  his  voice  ceased  he  looked  round  with 
the  air  of  having  silenced  his  opponent,  and  his 
eye  caught  mine.  He  smiled  engagingly.  There 
was  just  so  much  attraction  in  his  silent  salute 
that  I  almost  rose  and  joined  the  discussion.  But 
I  didn't.  In  fact  I  was  tired  with  my  exercise 
and  the  full-flowing  air  of  the  downs,  and  shortly 
afterwards  I  went  to  bed.  As  I  thrust  open  my 
window  the  noise  of  a  panting  engine  ascended  to 
me  from  the  yard  below;  and  I  looked  out,  and 
descried  in  the  faint  light  a  motor-cycle  puffing 
slowlv  away  into  the  night. 

It  is  in  these  facts  that  my  first  association  with 
Herbert  Fordyce  Alston  lies.  I  thought  no  more 
of  him  either  then  or  next  day,  until  I  met  him  on 
the  links,  when  he  once  more  gave  me  the  im- 
pression of  unusual  individuality.  He  watched 
me  make  a  rather  good  stroke,  leaning  on  his  own 
brassy,  and  when  I  came  up  to  him  nodded  with 
more  ceremony  than  an  Englishman. 

"That  was  a  right  good  hit,"  he  said  with  his 
pleasant  but  unmistakeable  American  voice. 

I  acknowledged  his  compliment  civilly,  and  we 
went  round  the  course  more  or  less  in  proximity 


io  THE  PRIVATEERS 

with  occasional  encounters  and  an  occasional  ex- 
change of  remarks. 

It  was  at  lunch  that  we  grew  friendly.  He  had 
a  good  deal  to  say  of  the  Island,  and  of  England 
in  general,  and  was  interesting  with  the  manner  of 
his  criticism  as  well  as  in  the  matter.  His  style 
had  piquancy  above  all,  though  his  comment  was 
goodnatured.  He  was  not  a  stranger  to  Europe, 
but,  as  he  phrased  it,  got  few  chances  of  really 
assimilating  it.  He  was  from  the  Middle  West,  as 
I  gathered,  and  pursued  a  career  which  he  did  not 
specify.  I  remember  thinking  this  omission  odd 
in  one  who  was  otherwise  so  frank,  and  even 
voluble.  He  had  been  at  Yale,  and  he  knew 
several  languages ;  in  fine  he  met  me  on  my  own 
level  as  an  educated  man  of  the  world.  One  got 
the  idea  of  a  certain  largeness  of  confidence  about 
him,  which  was  rather  fascinating ;  and  that  with 
his  keen  cheerful  eyes,  and  his  handsome  well- 
coloured  face  composed  an  altogether  attractive 
personality.  He  had  no  great  proficiency  at  golf 
which  did  not  seem  to  distress  him.  Indeed  he 
told  me  that  he  was  playing  to  while  time  away. 

"I'm  here,  Lieutenant  Kerslake,  on  a  more 
important  mission, "  said  he  with  twinkling  eyes. 
"It  might  be  fixed  up  as  business,  only  it's 
more  important  than  business.  There's  degrees 
of  comparison,  I  reckon,  Lieutenant,  in  affairs. 
There's  play,  you  know, — that's  positive;  there's 


THE  PRIVATEERS  n 

business — that  comparative;  and  there's  mar- 
riage. That's  the  top-note. " 

I  murmured  congratulations  such  as  a  stumbling 
Englishman  may  offer  to  a  stranger  who  has 
unexpectedly  thrust  a  confidence  upon  him. 

"Well,  you  see,"  he  said  lighting  his  cigar,  and 
speaking  in  that  even  unexcited  voice  he  employed 
throughout.  "  A  good  many  of  you  go  over  and 
extract  our  beauties ;  and  it's  time  we  evened  the 
balance." 

"The  lady  is  English?"  I  asked  with  a  show  of 
interest. 

He  threw  aside  the  match  he  had  blown 
out.  "English  to  the  bone,"  he  pronounced, 
"and  I  don't  know  after  all  that  there's  very 
much  difference  between  us.  If  she'd  been  born 
or  lived  in  the  United  States  she'd  have  been  an 
American,  and  as  it  is  she's  English.  That's 
about  all  it  amounts  to.  Which  only  goes  to 
demonstrate  that  birth  is  an  accident,  and  that 
there's  no  monopoly  of  beauty  in  either  country. ' ' 

"American  women  have  a  great  charm,"  said 
I  politely. 

"  I  know  one  English  woman  who  can  beat  'em 
on  their  own  ground, "  said  he,  smiling. 

He  was  in  love,  I  reflected,  but  I  hoped  it  was 
true  for  the  sake  of  my  countrywomen. 

We  played  together  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  gave 
him  a  hollow  beating  which  he  accepted  with 


12  THE  PRIVATEERS 

infinite  good  nature,  drawing  shrewd  deductions 
from  the  game  as  we  walked  to  the  ferry. 

"I  could  better  that  stroke  with  a  week's 
practice, "  he  decided.  "  If  I  stay  here  any  time 
I'll  fix  it  up." 

"Are  you  staying  long?"  I  asked  without  great 
curiosity. 

"Well,  that  depends,"  he  returned.  "It  de- 
pends on  a  lady. " 

"Oh!"  I  apologised  by  my  intonation  for  my 
unintentional  trespass  on  his  privacy,  but  he  con- 
tinued as  if  unconscious  of  this. 

"  If  I  can  persuade  the  lady  to  marry  me  right 
away,  I  shan't  be  kicking  my  heels  about  here 
very  long.  But  if  she  proves  obdurate — "  He 
smiled  at  me,  and  did  not  finish  his  sentence. 
"You  see  there's  a  good  deal  women  have  to 
arrange  on  these  occasions.  I  know  our  women 
over  yonder  couldn't  start  on  a  voyage  without 
full  rigging,  while  you  and  I  might  be  willing  to 
sail  with  a  jury  mast. " 

His  manner  implied  no  comment;  he  was 
merely  stating  a  fact;  and  he  sat  in  the  boat 
meditatively  contemplating  the  thwarts,  as  the 
ferryman  pulled  his  oars.  I  had  no  doubt  that 
he  was  pursuing  the  chain  of  thought  which  our 
conversation  had  started,  and  I  supposed  it  was 
pleasant.  My  attention  left  him,  and  wandered 
to  the  offing  where  a  schooner  was  tacking  for  the 


THE  PRIVATEERS  13 

harbour.  It  had  the  smart  appearance  of  a 
yacht,  not  over-large,  was  trim  of  rig,  and  black  of 
hull,  and  flew  neither  flag  nor  pennon,  which  was 
unusual  in  a  boat  arriving  at  harbour.  As  I 
watched  her  idly,  I  was  conscious  that  Alston  had 
lifted  his  eyes,  and  was,  like  me,  gazing  at  her. 
His  face  had  undergone  some  change  which  I  could 
not  at  first  determine.  His  colour  remained,  but 
his  eyes  were  now  narrowed  slits,  and  his  lower 
jaw  protruded  so  as  to  give  him  almost  a  progna- 
thous appearance.  You  could  see  the  ridge  of 
the  bone  and  the  muscles  outlined  in  the  flesh. 
He  looked  back  at  me  suddenly. 

"Lieutenant,  do  you  mind  if  this  man  puts 
back?  I've  just  recalled  that  I'm  due  at  St. 
Helen's.  I  hope  it  won't  disturb  your  plans  any." 

I  assured  him  it  was  not  of  the  slightest  conse- 
quence to  me,  and,  the  necessary  instructions 
having  been  given,  the  boat  was  put  round. 
Alston  resumed  his  chatter  which  had  been 
interrupted  by  his  reverie,  and  saluted  me  as  he 
stepped  out  on  the  point. 

"I'm  much  obliged,  Mr.  Kerslake, "  said  he 
and  smiled  and  nodded.  He  took  a  few  steps 
away  and  the  ferryman  turned  the  boat  again. 
The  schooner  had  come  to  anchor,  not  more  than 
two  hundred  yards  away,  and  a  small  boat  was 
putting  off  from  her.  Alston's  face  had  somehow 
arrested  my  interest.  It  had  changed  from  the 


i4  THE  PRIVATEERS 

moment  he  had  sighted  the  yacht.  I  wondered 
why.  And  his  sudden  remembrance  of  a  duty  at 
St.  Helen's  was  too  obviously  an  expedient. 
There  had  been  during  that  unconscious  moment 
of  self-revelation,  when  he  was  off  guard,  so  to 
speak,  an  expression  of  concern  upon  his  face,  and 
if  I  had  read  aright,  of  resolution.  He  interested 
me.  I  sat  in  the  boat  wondering;  and  as  I  won- 
dered I  looked  back.  Alston's  tall  figure  was 
discernible  on  the  top  of  a  dune,  and  he  was 
watching  the  progress  of  the  small  boat  towards 
Bembridge. 


CHAPTER  H 
SYLVIA  LOVELL 

As  I  landed  from  the  ferry  the  schooner's  boat 
drew  up  to  the  point,  and  I  cast  a  glance  at  it.  In 
the  stern,  with  the  rudder  in  his  hand  sat  a  short 
square-faced  man  of  forty  or  thereabouts,  clean- 
shaven, and  sallow  of  complexion.  He  scruti- 
nised me  keenly  as  he  discarded  his  rudder  and 
stood  up,  buttoning  his  sailor's  reefer  with  one 
hand  on  his  broad  chest. 

"  Lay  her  along, "  said  he  to  the  men,  and  that 
injunction  demonstrated  his  nationality  by  the 
intonation.  I  had  left  one  American  on  the 
sands  of  St.  Helen's;  and  I  stepped  ashore  to 
encounter  another  on  Bembridge  point.  The  two 
men,  side  by  side,  would  have  contrasted  phys- 
ically as  strongly  as  in  their  apparent  natures. 
This  newcomer  from  the  sea,  was  abrupt  and 
quick  in  manner ;  he  had  no  sense  of  spaciousness 
either  in  manners  or  in  mind,  I  could  have  sworn. 
But  he  knew  his  own  mind  like  the  other;  both 
acted  with  a  display  of  decision  which  is  unusual 
with  us,  and  leaves  perhaps  the  impression  of  a 
stronger  determination  on  the  spectator.  I  con- 
is 


16  THE  PRIVATEERS 

trasted  them  in  my  mind  idly  because  one  had 
avoided  the  other;  and  that  other  now  walked 
briskly  up  to  the  hotel  behind  me. 

As  I  saw  him  presently  in  conversation  with  the 
manager  he  rather  suggested  to  me  a  prizefighter, 
and  it  was  clear  that  he  had  as  little  ceremony  as 
one. 

"I  suppose  you've  got  a  directory,  anyway, 
knocking  about  this  football, "  said  he  with  an 
intonation  that  almost  imparted  contempt,  as  he 
turned  away  from  the  manager. 

Face  to  face  we  stared  at  each  other,  but  myself, 
I  trust  with  less  frankness  and  overtness.  He 
decided  in  that  stare  that  he  had  no  use  for  me, 
and  as  he  shouldered  his  way  past  he  had,  I 
imagine,  dismissed  me  from  his  mind  as  immaterial 
to  his  quest  and  history.  For  all  his  masterfulness 
he  was  no  prophet. 

I  have  said  immaterial  to  his  quest,  for  it  was 
evident  that  he  had  been  making  inquiries  of  the 
manager  and  had  been  disappointed.  I  wondered 
vaguely  if  he  had  been  asking  for  Herbert  Fordyce 
Alston,  and  if  so,  why.  In  the  coffee-room  he 
turned  over  several  books  of  reference,  including 
time-tables  and  local  guides,  and  abandoned 
them  all  with  an  audible  exclamation  of  im- 
patience. He  sat  at  the  window  looking  out  for  a 
moment,  and  whistled  as  he  pondered.  I  became 
immersed  in  a  paper,  and  when  I  looked  up  again 


THE  PRIVATEERS  17 

he  was  gone.  He  had  the  restlessness  of  his  race 
and  I  the  placidity  perhaps  of  mine. 

In  further  evidence  of  my  placidity  I  spent 
half  an  hour  watching  the  yacht  enter  the  basin 
from  which  act  I  deduced  like  a  good  detective — 
that,  directories  or  no  directories,  the  owner 
designed  to  stay  for  some  little  while.  She  was 
handled  with  skill,  but  to  my  sailor's  mind  there 
was  some  slackness  about  the  crew,  who  were 
directed  by  a  red-faced  man,  with  an  upturned 
nose,  and  a  big  voice.  One  in  particular  fixed 
my  eye,  tall,  lean,  grey  of  face  and  pock- 
marked, who  squirted  tobacco  juice  into  the 
water,  and  caressed  a  short  irregular  beard 
in  the  intervals  of  hauling  at  a  rope.  His  beard 
seemed  to  grow  in  patches  on  his  chin,  and  as 
he  chewed  he  discovered  large  vacancies  in  his 
row  of  teeth. 

But  the  schooner  passed  into  Brading 
harbour,  and  I  into  the  hotel  again,  where  I  dined 
with  a  fellow-golfer  very  pleasantly.  As  I  came 
out  into  the  hall  I  scanned  the  letter  rack,  and 
found  nothing  for  myself,  but  a  telegram  ad- 
dressed "Alston."  It  seemed  then  that  he  was 
expected  back  at  the  hotel  wherever  he  wandered 
at  the  moment.  And  that  I  was  destined  to 
discover  that  very  evening;  for  I  met  him  as  I 
strolled  on  the  downs  a  little  later. 

He  welcomed  me  in  his  almost  affectionate  way, 


i8  THE  PRIVATEERS 

paid  a  tribute  to  the  evening  air,  and  asked  how 
one  of  our  companions  of  the  afternoon  had  fared 
in  his  match.  But  he  was  not  really  interested  in 
my  reply,  as  was  obvious.  He  had  not  put  his 
question,  and  it  came  presently. 

"  Anyone  new  at  the  hotel  ? " 

I  told  him.  "Ah!"  said  he  "from  the 
schooner?" 

"Yes";  I  returned  almost  with  intention  "a 
countryman  of  yours. " 

"Plenty  of  us  in  Europe  about  now,"  he  re- 
marked indifferently.  At  that  I  recollected  some- 
thing, and  told  him  of  the  telegram  in  the  rack. 
He  bent  his  brows,  but  his  affable  eyes  smiled. 
"Really?  It's  good  of  you  to  tell  me,"  he  said, 
"I  must  send  for  it."  Then  he  paused,  "In  the 
rack,  was  it?"  He  gazed  at  the  great  blue  water 
that  vanished  in  indeterminate  darkness  towards 
France.  "  If  there's  one  thing  I  hate  more  than 
another,  it's  getting  cables  when  I'm  on  my 
holiday, "  he  declared  slowly.  "  It  spoils  sport. 
But  these  damned  business  matters  won't  wait. 
We  must  take  the  tide,  Sir,  or  get  left  on  the 
strand.  I'll  send  for  that  cable. ' ' 

"I'll  have  it  sent  up  to  you,  if  you'll  give  me  the 
address,"  said  I,  "  I'm  going  straight  back. "  He 
paused  before  he  answered.  "It's  very  kind  of 
you,  Mr.  Kerslake,  and  I'll  accept  your  offer  with 
thanks.  It  would  take  me  some  trouble  to  find  a 


THE  PRIVATEERS  19 

boy  and  I've  got  rather  a  particular  engagement 
on  just  now. " 

"  Oh,  I'll  send  it, "  I  replied  easily,  "  if  you'll  tell 
me  where."  Herbert  Fordyce  Alston  and  I  were 
mortal  atoms  from  distant  parts  of  the  world. 
We  had  fortuitously  encountered,  and  were 
destined  in  all  likelihood  fortuitously  to  part.  In 
a  week  we  should  hardly  remain  names  to  each 
other.  Yet  he  seemed  to  hesitate  ere  he  gave  me 
the  address,  which  he  finally  wrote  on  an  envelope : 

Bessenton  Manor, 

By  Sandown. 

And  so  I  left  him,  with  the  added  conviction  that 
he  did  not  want  to  meet  the  owner  of  the  schooner, 
his  countryman. 

When  I  reached  the  hotel  the  dusk  was  in  the 
air,  and  the  haU  was  darkling.  I  went  up  to  the 
rack  to  get  Alston's  telegram,  and  as  I  put  out  my 
hand  for  it  I  perceived  that  the  dark  shaven 
American  was  standing  in  front  of  the  board.  I 
wondered  if  he  had  noticed  the  superscription  of 
the  telegram,  or  if  the  darkness  had  prevented  him 
from  doing  so.  If  Alston  wanted  to  avoid  him  it 
followed  that  he  wanted  to  find  Alston.  Yet  if  he 
wanted  to  know  of  Alston's  presence  in  the 
neighbourhood  he  might  have  learned  it  by 
inquiry  of  the  manager;  and  I  had  gathered  that 


20  THE  PRIVATEERS 

he  had  retired  from  those  investigations  dis- 
comfited. 

I  took  the  wire,  and,  seeing  my  arm  come  past 
him,  he  turned  and  favoured  me  with  a  sharp  look. 
Did  he  realise  then  that  I  might  not  be  so  im- 
material in  his  life  as  he  had  thought?  After  the 
glance  he  left  the  hall,  and  I  turned  to  find  the 
messenger.  Yet  ere  I  had  reached  the  office  I  had 
a  bright  idea.  It  was  a  lovely  June  evening,  and 
the  fragrance  of  the  sea  mingled  with  the  scents  of 
the  fields  and  hedges.  It  could  not  be  more  than 
a  few  miles  to  Bessenton.  I  would  take  the  letter 
myself  for  the  sake  of  the  walk. 

It  was  delightful  along  the  upper  heights, 
where  the  Road  from  Bembridge  ascends  and 
descends  among  woods  and  valleys  towards  the 
bare  and  open  downs  that  front  the  sea.  I  walked 
briskly,  accompanied  by  the  most  casual  welter  of 
thoughts,  for  when  one  is  most  entertained  one's 
mind  is  least  coherent.  Sounds,  scents  and 
sights  alone  contributed  to  my  mental  flow  in 
which  there  was  no  logical  sequence.  The  stars 
emerged  in  the  vault  above,  and  stimulated  a 
vague  sense  of  romance.  I  was  young,  I  was 
sound  as  a  bell,  and  I  thought  I  had  a  career 
before  me.  I  was  not  in  love,  and  the  world  was 
my  oyster.  Romance  visits  such  with  exquisite 
tantalisations,  and  romance  was  my  attendant  on 
that  walk. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  21 

I  was  half  way  to  my  destination  before  I 
discovered  that  I  had  someone  else  in  attendance. 
At  least  I  was  never  sure  of  this  until  much  later 
but  I  had  a  vague  suspicion.  It  is  absurd  to  say 
that  one  can  have  a  sense  of  being  pursued.  No 
instinct  renders  civilised  man  that  service.  But 
sounds,  recurrent  or  even  intermittent,  may 
arouse  the  mind  to  suspicion.  The  whole  ma- 
chinery of  the  senses  and  the  intellect  is  called  into 
operation  in  detecting  that  pursuit,  as  mine  was 
on  this  occasion.  I  stopped,  and  the  noise  of  my 
follower  (if  he  was  my  follower)  died  away.  I 
resumed  my  course,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  also 
presently  resumed  his.  It  could  not  be  echo,  nor 
was  it  likely  to  be  mere  coincidence.  But  as  I  say 
I  did  not  come  to  this  conclusion  definitely  until 
later,  until,  in  fact,  on  my  return  journey.  I 
was,  as  I  went,  too  deeply  engaged  by  pleasant 
fancies. 

Those  fancies  endured  until  I  found  I  had 
missed  my  way,  and  was  upon  the  barren  downs. 
It  seemed  now  somewhat  absurd  to  have  started 
from  Bembridge  with  that  unnecessary  enthu- 
siasm for  the  trudge.  Far  better  if  I  had  sent  a 
messenger  according  to  my  earlier  thought.  The 
place  was  vacant;  its  wide  and  empty  spaces 
challenged  one  inhospitably.  To  be  sure  there 
were  the  stars  and  the  cool  night-winds,  but  I 
could  have  enjoyed  these  better  if  I  had  been  sure 


22  THE  PRIVATEERS 

of  my  destination.  And  no  one  was  about  to 
advise  me.  Where  the  mischief  was  Bessenton 
Manor? 

I  struck  down  from  the  hills  and  deliberately 
crossed  a  hedge,  for  if  I  could  not  trust  myself 
confidently  to  the  roads  I  had  a  certain  faith  in 
being  able  to  reach  a  farm-house;  and  here 
perhaps  I  got  an  inkling  first  of  my  follower.  I 
caught  sight  of  him  mounting  the  hedge  in  the 
starlight,  at  a  distance  of  fifty  yards.  There  was 
the  loom  of  his  figure  for  a  moment  and  then  it 
disappeared.  Here  was  my  chance  to  obtain  my 
direction ;  I  went  back  and  called  to  him.  But  no 
answer  came  out  of  the  night.  I  called  again,  and 
was  still  received  with  silence.  In  some  wonder  I 
resumed  my  way  conjecturing  that  the  figure 
must  be  that  of  some  trespasser,  some  hind  maybe 
upon  an  unlawful  mission,  who  had  no  occasion 
for  publicity. 

My  precognition  was  right,  and  my  faith 
justified  itself  with  my  arrival  at  some  sort  of 
cottage  after  the  passage  of  two  or  three  fields. 
Here  I  had  no  difficulty  in  learning  my  way,  and 
pursuing  the  road  again  I  came  eventually  out 
upon  a  limb  of  the  downs  that  overhung  Sandown 
Bay.  Lights  were  twinkling  on  the  distant 
beach  like  glow-worms,  but  here  on  the  uplands 
all  was  very  still  and  dark;  and  Bessenton 
Manor  was  formidably  dark  and  unfriendly.  It 


THE  PRIVATEERS  23 

had  a  humble  approach  through  a  small  gate  and 
across  a  patch  of  orchard,  and  it  seemed  to  suggest 
dilapidation  even  in  the  gloom  of  night.  I 
made  my  way  with  some  difficulty  to  the  door,  and 
pulled  at  the  bell,  which  started  crazily  to  jingle  in 
the  distance.  It  jigged  on  the  air  and  the  silence 
till  it  almost  made  me  ashamed  of  my  uninten- 
tional violence,  and  then  suddenly  the  door  was 
opened,  and  the  light  of  a  hanging  lamp  flickered 
on  me  from  the  hall. 

I  recognised  her  in  a  moment,  and  I  think  she 
recognised  me,  for  she  showed  ever  so  slight  a 
confusion  when  I  made  my  errand  clear. 

"  I  have  brought  a  telegram  for  Mr.  Alston, "  I 
said. 

"Oh — won't  you — please  come  in,"  she  re- 
turned, seeing  that  I  was  obviously  not  a  tele- 
graph messenger. 

I  hesitated,  but  the  coincidence  of  her  being 
there  and  of  Alston's  confidence  made  me  some- 
what curious.  I  did  not  refuse,  though  I  had 
no  real  excuse  for  accepting.  I  entered  the  hall, 
saying  "I  don't  think  there's  any  necessity  to 
trouble  you.  If  you  will  kindly  let  Mr.  Alston 
have  that" — 

"  Yes,  yes, "  she  interposed  hastily,  and  at  that 
moment  Alston  himself  entered  the  hall  from  an 
adjoining  room.  His  quick  eyes  embraced  the 
situation  without  a  word  and  he  came  forward. 


24  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"It's  very  good  of  you,  Lieutenant,"  he  said 
courteously.  It's  no  end  kind  of  you. " 

"Oh,  I  wanted  the  walk,"  I  explained,  and 
looked  at  the  girl.  He  had  the  pleasant  formality 
of  his  country. 

"  Lieutenant  Kerslake  has  been  so  very  good  as 
to  bring  me  out  this  cable  from  the  hotel,"  he 
explained  to  the  girl.  "  No  end  kind  of  him,  isn't 
it,  Sylvia?"  He  glanced  at  me.  "This  is  Miss 
Lovell,  Mr.  Kerslake. " 

It  was  an  introduction,  although  we  had  met 
before,  and  I  bowed.  I  was  aware  that  her 
eyes  were  dancing  on  me  inquisitively,  as  they 
might  safely  do  in  that  light.  "Come  in,  Mr. 
Kerslake,"  invited  the  American,  and  with  the 
re-enforcement  of  his  request  I  hesitated  no 
longer.  We  passed  into  an  interior  drawing-room 
of  considerable  size,  panelled  in  oak,  but  lighted 
very  weakly  by  a  lamp  on  a  central  table.  The 
girl  merely  went  through  into  a  room  beyond,  as 
though  leaving  us  to  any  communications  to- 
gether we  desired;  and  I  had  somehow  the  idea 
that  Alston  had  something  to  say. 

He  was  as  amiable  and  unconcerned  as  ever,  as 
veritable  a  dilettante  to  the  eye  as  you  might  meet 
on  a  leisurely  holiday. 

"Do  you  mind  my  opening  this  thing?"  he 
asked  with  some  contempt  of  the  thing,  when  I 
was  seated;  and  when  I  had  replied,  "You'll  have 


THE  PRIVATEERS  25 

a  little  whiskey  with  me,  after  your  walk,  won't 
you?" 

He  moved  across  the  room  towards  the  bell, 
reading  his  telegram,  and  having  rung  came  back 
to  me  still  occupied  in  reading.  His  face  in  the 
light  was  expressive ;  amusement,  contempt  and 
indifference  seemed  to  chase  across  his  features. 
He  put  the  cable  in  his  pocket  carelessly.  "  Now 
then, "  said  he  heartily  as  the  maid  arrived.  "  The 
whiskey  and  glasses,  please  Jenny. "  He  twinkled 
at  me,  "I've  learned  to  drink  Scotch  over  here, "  he 
said.  "It's  cleaner  than  our  Bourbon  somehow. 
It  sort  of  rounds  up  an  evening.  I  guess  I'll  leave 
off  when  I  get  back,  but  this  climate  exacts  it. 
It's  a  sort  of  civility  to  the  damp  air  which  keeps 
your  lawns  so  exquisite.  Look  at  Carisbrooke 
Castle  yonder.  I  think  I'd  put  up  with  a  relaxed 
throat  or  two  to  get  a  green  like  that,  especially  as 
there's  the  whiskey  cure, "  he  remarked  smilingly. 
"  What  I  like  is  the  unanimity  with  which  a  whole 
smoking-room  orders  its  Scotch  and  soda  after 
dinner.  It's  like  grace  after  supper.  The  British 
constitution  isn't  complete  without  it.  It's  the 
coping  stone  of  the  day's  work.  Our  countrymen 
don't  understand  its  insinuating  virtues.  Say,  by 
the  bye,  wasn't  there  another  from  my  way 
landed  at  the  hotel,  did  you  say  ? " 

He  handed  me  a  cigar,  lighted  one  himself,  and 
poured  out  two  jorums  of  the  spirit. 


26  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  The  schooner-yacht's  American, "  I  answered. 

"Ah!"  he  puffed  as  he  used  the  syphon.  "I'm 
here  as  lodger;  that's  why  I  make  free,  you  see." 
He  nodded  his  head  towards  the  door.  A  charm- 
ing woman,  Mrs.  Lovell,  but  there  have  been 
disabilities."  He  reclined  in  his  chair  lazily. 

"Oh,  he's  at  the  hotel  then?" 

"  Yes, "  I  said  catching  his  drift.  "  The  schoon- 
er's inside,  so  I  suppose  he  contemplates  a  stay. " 

What  he  was  going  to  say  I  cannot  tell,  for  an 
interruption  occurred  in  the  entrance  of  a  lady. 
She  was  about  middle  height,  had  a  young  figure 
and  a  face  with  claims  to  good  looks.  She  was 
essentially  "elegant"  in  the  old  phrase,  and  her 
expression  seemed  to  appeal  to  you,  to  inquire  of 
you,  to  express  confidence  in  you.  I  guessed  her 
at  once,  and  before  the  introduction,  as  Mrs. 
Lovell.  Her  manner  was  at  once  shy  and  dig- 
nified, and  it  was  easy  (I  thought)  to  see  in  her  the 
woman  of  good  family  and  perhaps  of  once  good 
fortune,  reduced  to  playing  landlady  to  well-to-do 
Americans.  Alston  had  a  gracious  caressing  way 
with  her  which  was  quite  charming,  and  under 
which  she  sensibly  warmed.  The  poor  lady,  as 
it  seemed  to  me,  basked  in  the  sun  of  his  pros- 
perity. 

"Mrs.  Lovell,"  said  he  playfully,  "has  been 
acting  as  my  cicerone  round  your  island.  I 
don't  want  any  better  dragoman  or  woman. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  27 

I've  no  room  for  any.  She's  keen  on  historic 
places  and  that  just  suits  me,  I  guess. " 

As  he  spoke  Miss  Lovell  joined  the  party,  and  he 
cast  a  glance  at  her,  half -whimsical,  half -affection- 
ate. There  could  be  no  longer  any  doubt  in  my 
mind.  This  was  the  English  girl  of  whom  he  had 
spoken,  whom  he  was  to  marry  to  "even  the 
balance."  Well,  they  were  well-matched  in 
handsome  looks,  though  I  had  an  insular  prejudice 
in  favour  of  our  own  style  of  beauty.  Mrs. 
Lovell's  gaze  appeared  to  be  directed  on  her 
daughter  with  some  anxiety;  but  Sylvia  Lovell 
said  nothing,  only  looked  at  me,  her  lips  parting 
slightly  as  if  in  unconscious  wonder.  She  was 
even  more  of  a  girl  here  than  I  had  thought  her 
on  the  downs,  and  showed  an  unself conscious 
naivete1  in  her  bearing  that  was  somehow  delight- 
fully attractive. 

I  had  intruded  long  enough,  and  rose  to  go. 
Alston  rose  also,  and  offered  to  put  me  on  the 
road.  It  might  have  been  mere  courtesy,  but  I 
could  not  help  feeling  that  he  had  not  managed  to 
say  what  he  wanted  to  say  before  Mrs.  Lovell's 
appearance,  and  that  he  would  revert  to  the  topic 
when  we  were  alone.  Still  it  was  of  no  personal 
interest  to  me,  and  I  took  leave  of  the  ladies.  As 
we  went  out,  I  a  little  in  advance  of  Alston,  I 
noticed,  turning  to  raise  my  hat,  that  he  put  out 
an  arm  with  a  playful  proprietorial  air  towards  the 


28  THE  PRIVATEERS 

girl,  and  with  equal  distinctness  I  saw  her  draw 
back.  Perhaps  she  observed  that  my  face  was 
towards  them,  even  in  the  twilight  of  the  stars, 
yet  it  struck  me  that  she  winced,  that  she  shrank 
as  from  a  familiarity  which  she  had  not  courted, 
withdrew  into  the  deeper  obscurity  of  the  door- 
way; and  as  she  did  so  the  swinging  lamp  of  the 
hall  illumined  for  an  instant  her  face,  and  I  saw 
its  expression.  It  was  that  of  a  terrified  child. 

By  contrast  with  the  ill-lighted  hall  the  stars 
seemed  a  little  brighter  under  the  open  heaven, 
and  we  walked  in  silence  for  a  time,  I  on  my  part 
sending  back  some  reflections  towards  the  girl  in 
the  porch  and  her  relation  to  my  companion. 

"  You  probably  made  the  mistake  of  bearing  to 
the  left  too  much, "  said  he  at  last,  referring  to  my 
blunder  on  the  way  out  from  Bembridge.  "  I've 
got  to  know  the  road  well. " 

"You've  been  long  here?"  I  could  not  but 
inquire  casually.  He  reflected.  "A  few  weeks. 
I  like  an  hotel  as  a  rule  better  than  a  house,  Mr. 
Kerslake,  but  there  are  occasions  when  one 
prefers  a  house. " 

He  laughed.  "Then  the  lady—"  I  began,  for 
clearly  one  need  not  stand  on  too  much  ceremony 
with  so  communicative  an  acquaintance. 

"Yes;  you've  guessed  it  first  time,"  he  as- 
sented pleasantly.  "Miss  Lovell's  going  to  help 
square  the  balance,  I  hope. " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  29 

I  murmured  that  he  was  very  fortunate,  and 
expressed  a  formal  wish  for  the  prosperity  of  so 
interesting  and  international  a  union.  But  I  was 
wondering  why  he  walked  with  me.  Was  it 
really  only  amiability?  As  the  thought  went 
through  my  mind  I  chanced  to  look  back  across 
the  field  into  which  we  had  turned  by  a  stile,  and 
the  loom  of  a  figure  crossing  the  stile  blotted  a 
patch  of  stars.  A  sense  of  familiarity  with  it 
dawned  on  me  at  once ;  it  was  almost  with  recog- 
nition that  my  mind  went  back  to  the  passage  of 
another  field  and  of  a  figure  against  the  sky.  I 
paused  and  stared,  and  my  companion  looked  at 
me. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  I  in  explanation,  "it's 
odd;  but  I  seem  to  have  seen  that  fellow  before. 
He  crossed  a  field  with  me  when  I  came. " 

"Did  he?"  inquired  Alston,  and  added,  "You 
didn't  take  a  field-path,  did  you?  You  crossed  a 
field  anyhow. " 

"  I  took  it  blindly, "  said  I. 

"  Then, "  said  he,  "  This  fellow—  " 

"  Well,  it  looks  as  if  he  was  interested  in  me, "  I 
admitted. 

He  had  resumed  walking,  and  was  silent  for 
some  little  time.  "You  don't  boast  road  agents 
here,  Mr.  Kerslake, "  he  said  then,  "maybe  he's 
a  tramp." 

"He  may  be,"  said  I,  "but  as  I  am  of  an  in- 


30  THE  PRIVATEERS 

quisitive  nature,  and  dislike  unsolved  riddles  I 
think  I'll  make  sure. " 

He  said  nothing,  but  waited  on  what  I  should 
do.  What  I  did  was  to  mount  the  stile  which 
made  connection  with  the  road  and  turn  aside 
into  the  shelter  of  the  hedge.  He  took  up  his 
position  by  me,  without  a  word,  and  we  listened. 

The  sound  of  a  man's  progress  came  off  the 
field,  reaching  us  softly  at  first,  and  then  with  the 
emphasis  of  increasing  proximity;  and  presently 
we  could  hear  someone  at  the  stile.  A  figure 
darkened  the  gap  in  the  hedge  and  descended  in  a 
light  leap  to  the  road.  As  it  did  so  I  put  out  the 
heavy  walking-stick  I  carried  horizontally  into 
the  blackness  of  the  shade  he  cast ;  his  knees  took 
it,  he  staggered,  and  fell  forward  with  both 
hands  instinctively  outstretched  to  save  himself. 
Stepping  out  of  concealment  I  caught  him  and 
bore  him  up. 

"  Hulloa ! "  said  I,  "  come  over  too  quickly?  " 
He  stood  up,  and  under  the  faint  light  I  could 
make  out  his  face ;  it  was  that  of  the  yacht-hand 
I  had  noticed,  the  tall  meagre  man  with  gaps  in 
his  teeth.     He  muttered  thanks  and  hastened 
away,  and  I  was  left  with  Alston  who  had  not 
budged  from  the  hedge.     Now  he  came  forward. 
"Well?"  said  he,  "Tramp?  or  pickpocket?" 
I  picked  up  my  stick  which  had  been  wrenched 
out  of  my  hands. 


"He  staggered,  and  fell  forward  with  both  hands  instinctively 
outstretched  to  save  himself" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  31 

"Neither,"  said  I  laconically.  I  felt  he  was 
waiting,  and  I  was  somehow  satisfied  that  he 
should  wait.  I  took  off  my  hat  to  the  cool 
breezes  of  the  evening.  "But  I've  seen  him 
before,"  I  resumed  as  if  meditating,  "I  think  he 
was  one  of  the  sailors  I  noticed  on  the  yacht  that 
came  in  to-day." 

There  was  a  little  pause  ere  he  spoke,  and  then, 

"Well,  if  he's  American  you're  safe  enough," 
he  said  jocularly. 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right,"  I  replied  easily,  "and 
really  I  don't  see  why  I  should  bother  you  to 
come  out  of  your  way  so  far.  I've  got  the  road. " 

"  I  owed  that  to  you  at  any  rate, "  said  Alston. 
"You  were  good  about  that  cable.  And  I  don't 
know  that  I  need  have  troubled  you  after  all." 

"  Business  matters — "  I  began. 

"  Business!  I'm  here  on  something  better,"  he 
interrupted  laughing.  Besides  I  might  have 
waited  comfortably  till  to-morrow,  I  daresay  I'll 
see  you  then,  Mr.  Kerslake.  You  see,  I've  left 
my  motor-tricycle  at  the  hotel  and  must  fetch 
it.  He  made  a  pause  and  then  added,  as  it  seemed 
inconsequently,  "  that  was  a  very  neat  trick  of 
yours  with  the  stick,  neat  and  prompt.  You're 
a  man  of  resources. " 

"  I'm  only  a  sailor, "  said  I  modestly. 

He  gave  me  goodnight,  and  strode  off ;  and  as  I 
resumed  my  journey  to  Bembridge  I  wondered 


32  THE  PRIVATEERS 

why  he  had  been  so  anxious  to  avoicTthe  hotel  all 
the  afternoon,  and  now  was  willing  to  visit  it  in 
the  morning.  It  puzzled  me,  as  did  indeed  all  the 
factors  in  the  situation. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  SECOND  MAN 

I  BREAKFASTED  early  on  the  following  morning, 
and,  having  given  some  orders  about  the  despatch 
of  my  luggage  to  the  station,  entered  the  smoking- 
room  to  look  at  a  paper  and  enjoy  a  cigar.  The 
windows  were  open,  and  the  sea  was  calling  on  the 
beach  through  the  fine  sunshine.  I  had  hardly 
settled  to  my  news  when  I  heard  my  name,  and 
looking  up  saw  Alston.  He  was  debonair  and 
smiling,  with  that  air  of  negligent  attention  which 
I  had  detected  in  him  and  he  flung  himself  down 
opposite  to  me  after  expressing  a  civil  hope  that 
he  was  not  disturbing  me.  We  exchanged  re- 
marks on  some  different  topics  between  intervals 
of  perusing  our  papers,  and  then  suddenly  he  rose, 
dropping  his  journal. 

"Wilson  Rudgwick,  as  I  live!"  he  cried  in  a 
cheerful  voice.  I  turned,  and  there  was  the  clean- 
shaven man  who  had  arrived  in  the  yacht. 

"Alston!"  said  he,  and  grinned.  They  shook 
hands. 

"Sit  down,"  said  Alston.  "This  is  my  friend 
.Wilson  Rudgwick,  Lieutenant  Kerslake,  come  over 

33 


34  THE  PRIVATEERS 

to  look  up  the  old  country,  and  see  if  it's  anchored 
off  Europe,  as  usual.  Though  he's  no  stranger  to 
it,  eh,  Wilson?" 

"Lancashire  born,"  said  th"  other  briefly,  and 
now  I  recognised  a  mingling  of  accents  in  his 
voice. 

"And  how's  the  business  going?"  inquired 
Alston. 

"A  bit  easier,"  said  Rudgwick,  biting  the  end 
from  a  cigar.  "  That's  why  I'm  here." 

"You're  here  for  pleasure?"  I  inquired  politely. 

"  Some,"  was  his  laconic  reply. 

"  Mr.  Rudgwick  unites  pleasure  and  business," 
explained  his  friend.  "  There's  never  an  occasion 
when  Wilson  Rudgwick  refuses  to  do  business, 
even  here,  eh?" 

"  If  I  get  on  a  good  line,  here  too,"  admitted  the 
new-comer.  "  But  say,  Alston,  what  brings  you 
here  ?  I  had  an  idea  of  my  own  that  you'd  maybe 
be  in  Montana." 

Alston  shook  his  head.  "I've  no  use  for 
Montana  at  the  moment.  Montana's  all  right, 
but  you  can  get  fed  up  on  Montana.  I'm  here  on 
the  same  business  as  yourself." 

"  To  get  rid  of  dollars,"  said  Rudgwick.  '  'Well 
I  suppose  we're  mighty  fools,  yet  a  sovereign  will 
go  further  than  five  dollars,  and  that's  how  I  pay 
my  yachting  expenses, — with  the  margin.  You 
staying  long?" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  35 

Alston  crossed  his  legs.  "  Long  as  I  like  it,"  he 
returned.  He  did  not  seem  to  me  so  communica- 
tive as  I  was  used  to  seeing  him,  though  wholly  at 
his  ease. 

"You  ought  to  have  done  business  with  me 
away  in  Chicago,"  remarked  the  older  man  after 
a  pause.  "It  would  pay  you  best  to  deal  with 
our  house." 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  keen  on  a  deal.  I  can  wait,"  said 
the  other  smiling.  "  Some  fellows,  my  dear  Wilson 
can't  resist  the  temptation  of  concluding  a  bar- 
gain nohow,  as  long  as  they  see  dollars  in  it.  Now, 
dollars  are  a  bit  over-estimated,  seems  to  me.  It's 
what  they '  11  buy  that  matters ,  and  if  I  give  up  health 
or  a  fortnight's  good  time  to  make  ten  thousand 
dollars,  I've  got  to  reckon  up  if  it's  worth  while." 

To  my  surprise  Rudgwick  broke  into  a  hearty 
chuckle  at  this,  which  increased  as  he  eyed  his 
companion. 

"  I  conclude  there's  some  sense  in  what  you  say,' ' 
he  said  at  last.  "You  hang  onto  things  in  the 
right  way,  Alston.  And  as  it  appears  you're  here 
for  pleasure,  I  believe  I  can  help  you.  There's 
my  yacht  now.  What's  the  matter  with  a 
Mediterranean  trip?" 

"You're  too  good,  Rudgwick,"  said  his  friend. 
"  You're  just  almighty  good,  and  I  should  love  to. 
But,  say,  is  that  your  black-hulled  schooner  out 
there?" 


36  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"That's  so,"  nodded  the  other. 

"  She  looks  trig.  I  should  like  to  see  her  foot  it. 
Could  we  have  a  turn  this  afternoon,  Wilson?" 

Rudgwick  blew  the  smoke  from  his  mouth. 
"  I'll  fix  it,"  said  he.  "You  staying  here?" 

"  No ;  I'm  a  bit  in  the  interior  of  this  continent," 
said  Alston  without  hesitation.  "I'm  Sandown 
way — quarters  in  a  real  English  rural  old-fashion- 
ed place.  Reminds  you  of  Stratford-on-Avon  and 
Kenilworth  all  in  one." 

"Well,  come  along  after  lunch,"  said  Rudgwick 
as  he  rose,  with  an  inclination  of  his  head  which 
rather  curtly  included  me. 

Now  I  had  been  conscious  all  along  that  there 
was  something  underneath  the  two  men's  talk, 
that  in  a  way,  they  were  fencing  with  each  other. 
I  do  not  think  I  should  have  noticed  it  in  the 
manner  of  either,  or  in  any  words  actually  passing 
between  them,  but  I  was  prepared  by  my  previous 
discoveries  for  latent  hostility,  and  in  the  light  of 
my  knowledge  I  read  thrust  and  riposte  in  every 
sentence.  What  it  was  between  them  I  did  not 
know,  nor  was  it  any  affair  of  mine.  But  that  I 
was  not  wrong  hardly  needed  the  assurance  of 
Alston's  words  to  me  when  the  older  man  was 
gone. 

"  Mr.  Rudgwick's  partner  in  a  big  wheat  busi- 
ness in  Chicago,"  he  said,  "and  he's  pretty  smart 
but  he's  not  so  smart  as  he  thinks  himself.  He 


THE  PRIVATEERS  37 

wanted  a  deal  with  me  over  mines — Montana 
mines,  but  I  didn't  see  it.  No ;  Wilson  Rudgwick 
knows  a  lot  about  packing  and  wheat,  but  he  don't 
know  much  about  mines.  I  reckon  he's  a  little 
late  for  a  deal  now.  And  he'll  begin  to  find  it  out. ' ' 
He  smiled,  shook  hands  with  almost  effusive 
friendliness  and  went  out.  An  hour  later  I  left 
Bembridge  for  Ryde  on  my  way  to  Portsmouth, 
under  the  distinct  impression  that  I  had  seen  the 
last  of  my  American,  and  all  associated  with  him. 
Yet  the  world  is  a  small  place,  after  all,  and  the 
Isle  of  Wight  is  a  smaller.  Indeed  it  is  a  ridicu- 
lous toy  piece  broken  off  the  Hampshire  coast,  and 
one  feels  one  must  perforce  knock  up  against  every 
one  in  it  several  times  a  day,  as  one  encounters  the 
same  faces  in  a  village  street.  So  at  the  pierhead 
at  Ryde,  while  waiting  for  the  Portsmouth  boat,  I 
happened  upon  Alston  once  more.  He  was  in  the 
company  of  ladies,  and  I  at  once  recognised  the 
younger.  It  was  Miss  Lovell,  dressed  in  light 
muslin  with  a  light  dust-coat  almost  to  her  heels 
which  the  fresh  breezes  off  Spithead  were  blowing 
about  her.  Her  face  was  delicately  pink  under  the 
threshing  of  the  wind  but  she  seemed  to  me  to 
have  a  dispirited  air,  and  stood  helplessly  against 
the  railway  station  while  Alston  bustled  about 
among  the  porters.  My  way  lay  past  her,  and  our 
glances  met.  I  stopped,  lifting  my  hat,  and  she 
impulsively  offered  her  hand. 


38  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"You're  crossing?"  I  asked,  and  was  answered 
by  her  companion  whom  I  now  saw  to  be  her 
mother. 

"Yes,  we're  going  to  town,  Mr.  Kerslake — for  a 
few  days."  She  spoke  I  thought  with  some 
triumph  in  her  voice. 

"  I  saw  Mr.  Alston  just  now,"  I  went  on. 

"Yes,  he's  going  up  with  us,"  explained  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "  It  won't  be  rough,  will  it?  I'm  such  a 
bad  sailor." 

I  looked  out  across  the  strait.  "  Those  are  only 
foam-heads,"  said  I.  "There's  no  substance  in 
them.  They're  mere  decorative  rosettes  of  spume 
on  a  placid  sea,  dissolving  even  as  they  form." 

I  was  conscious  that  Miss  Lovell  was  looking  at 
me  inquiringly,  and  it  was  rather  an  earnest, 
wondering  glance,  almost  as  if  she  were  trying  to 
weigh  me  in  her  mind.  And  then  Alston  caught 
sight  of  me,  and  waved  his  hand  cordially  as  he 
came  up. 

"  Well  met  on  the  Rialto,"  he  called.  "  I 
wonder,  are  we  crossing  together?  That  would  be 
bully." 

"Crossing,  are  you,  Fordyce?"  said  a  sharp 
crisp  voice  which  singled  itself  suddenly  out  of  the 
many  voices  of  the  pier. 

Alston  swung  round,  as  did  I,  and  there  was 
Rudgwick,  swart  of  face,  square  of  figure,  with  a 
billy-cock  on  the  back  of  his  head. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  39 

"Wilson!  Bully  for  you!  Are  you  going  over 
too?  We'll  have  a  regular  party."  This  was  in 
Alston's  regulation  affable  manner. 

Rudgwick  did  not  reply,  but  fixed  his  gaze  on 
the  women,  and  instantly  the  younger  man  re- 
sponded to  that  interrogatory  stare. 

"  Let  me  introduce  you,  Mr.  Rudgwick,  to  Mrs. 
Lovell,  and  Miss  Lovell."  He  made  the  presenta- 
tion gracefully ;  and  as  Rudgwick  lifted  his  hat  I 
was  struck  by  the  shadow  on  his  face.  It  was  like 
the  shadow  of  a  grin,  and  a  grin  that  was  rather 
sardonic;  but  it  was  gone  when  he  turned  to 
Alston  with : 

"  Now,  it  seems  like  we've  got  to  wait  a  bit  for 
that  boat  yonder.  Alston,  what's  the  matter  with 
my  boat?  Couldn't  she  take  the  ladies  on  as  easy 
as  this  orthodox  craft  that's  coming  along?" 

Alston  gave  one  glance  out  upon  the  Solent, 
where  I  recognised  the  black  hull  of  Rudgwick's 
schooner,  and  then  the  eyes  of  the  two  men  met, 
Rudgwick's  impassive,  the  younger  man's  slightly 
supercilious  and  smiling. 

"She's  at  your  disposal,  Fordyce,"  said  the 
former. 

"You're  good  all  through,  Wilson,"  said  Alston 
laughing.  "  But  I  reckon  we  can  get  along  more 
easily  with  the  steamer." 

"  Now,  I've  taken  a  fancy  to  have  you  on  that 
yacht,"  persisted  Rudgwick.  "You  and  the 


40  THE  PRIVATEERS 

ladies,"  He  ignored  me  which  Alston  would  cer- 
tainly not  have  done.  "  Say,  can't  I  persuade  you?" 

Alston  shook  his  head,  and  threw  a  glance  out  of 
his  quick  eyes  towards  the  incoming  boat.  He 
appeared  to  be  considering,  and  the  other  watched 
him.  I  watched  both,  for  again  I  had  the  definite 
impression  that  some  duel  was  covertly  in 
progress. 

"  If  I  can't,"  went  on  Rudgwick  after  a  pause, 
"I'm  unhappy,  but  I  recollect  anyhow  you're 
coming  along  this  afternoon,  Fordyce." 

I  remembered  now  the  engagement  which  had 
been  made  in  my  presence  earlier  in  the  morning. 

Alston,  if  he  had  not  forgotten,  had  ignored 
this,  for  was  he  not  bound  for  London  for  a  few 
days  ?  But  he  showed  no  signs  of  being  disturbed. 

"  I  was  wiring  to  you  about  that — to  put  that 
off,"  he  said. 

"  That  so  ?"  Rudgwick  nodded.  "  Then  if  I'm 
not  going  to  see  you  to-day  again,  we'd  better  fix 
that  other  matter  up.  You  must  give  me  five 
minutes,  Fordyce.  I  think  I  can  manage  it  all  in 
five  minutes." 

"Certainly,"  Alston  shrugged  his  shoulders 
gracefully.  "  Your  pardon,  ladies.  Mr.  Kerslake, 
I  trust  them  to  you  for  five  minutes." 

I  was  not  loth  to  undertake  the  trust,  and  entered 
into  conversation  when  the  two  men  had  gone. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  the  Montana  mine  was 


THE  PRIVATEERS  41 

developing  a  more  open  hostility  between  them. 
It  was  Mrs.  Lovell  who  did  most  of  the  talking. 
She  was  something  between  excited  and  anxious, 
and  she  cast  glances  about  the  pier  as  if  afraid 
they  would  lose  the  boat.  Her  daughter  was  very 
silent  and  still,  and  now  I  wondered  if  this  was 
the  same  girl  who  had  struck  me  as  filled  with 
such  natural  gaiety  on  Bembridge  downs  two 
days  before. 

Alston  returned  alone,  with  serene  unruffled 
brow,  and  said  equably: 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Lovell,  I  am  chagrined,  but  I 
have  news  from  my  friend,  Wilson  Rudgwick, 
which  will  postpone  this  visit.  Will  you  forgive 
me?  Nothing,  as  you  may  guess,  but  the  most 
weighty  reasons  would  have  induced  me  to  put 
this  off;  but  I'm  merely  drift-wood  this  moment. 
That's  the  way  of  us  business-men.  However,  if  I 
can  get  through,  we'll  make  a  start  a  bit  later." 

He  turned  to  Miss  Lovell — "Sylvia,  dear  de- 
lightful name,  can  you  pardon  this  unpardonable 
thing?" 

He  spoke  with  soft  tenderness,  but  somehow  I 
did  not  like  his  air.  Perhaps  his  proprietary  man- 
ner offended  me.  He  was  adjusting  the  balance 
altogether  too  magnificently  by  his  capture  of 
this  beautiful  girl.  As  he  spoke  he  took  her  hand, 
and  she  left  it  in  his  grasp. 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  she  assented  in  a  conventional 


42  THE  PRIVATEERS 

way:  and  then  withdrew  from  his  touch;  and  as 
she  turned  the  expression  on  her  face  altered;  it 
showed  obvious  and  unmitigated  relief.  She  was 
glad  not  to  be  going. 

Alston  turned  to  me.  "I  havn't  finished  my 
business  yet,"  he  said.  "Rudgwick's  waiting  for 
me.  Would  you  mind,  like  a  very  good  fellow, 
seeing  the  ladies  into  the  train? " 

I  expressed  the  pleasure  I  should  have  in  the 
operation,  and  he  went  off  with  less  than  his  usual 
urbanity.  Something  abrupt  had  crept  into  his 
manner,  which  was,  no  doubt,  "business."  I  had 
the  impression  that  he  would  not  have  an  easy 
time  with  his  friend  Rudgwick. 

Mrs.  Lovell  was  manifestly  disappointed;  and 
with  difficulty  kept  her  manifestations  within  the 
good  manners  of  convention.  She  deprecated  in 
a  plaintive  way  the  exactions  of  business,  obvi- 
ously keeping  hold  on  herself  with  effort.  "  Amer- 
icans are  supposed  to  be  greater  victims  to  it  than 
our  own  men,  aren't  they,  Mr.  Kerslake?"  she 
appealed.  "  It  is  a  shame  Mr.  Alston  should  have 
his  holiday  spoiled,  and  he's  so  very  thoughtful 
too  and  considerate.  Sylvia  dear,  are  you  sure  all 
the  luggage  is  here?" 

I  gave  my  services  unreservedly  to  the  luggage 
which  I  succeeded  in  collecting,  and  showed  the 
ladies  to  their  carriage.  Miss  Lovell  was  a  little 
formal  in  her  manner,  but  had  brightened  per- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  43 

ceptibly.  Her  mother  was  harassed  and  rather 
staccato  in  conversation.  Meanwhile  I  was  sure 
I  was  missing  the  boat,  but  I  did  not  mind.  The 
train  lingered  to  take  up  the  arrivals  from  Ports- 
mouth, and  the  platform  was  crowded  with 
porters  and  passengers,  the  station  noisy  with 
rattling  hand-trucks. 

I  stood  by  the  carriage  door,  exchanging 
sentences  with  Mrs.  Lovell,  who  kept  craning  her 
head  out  as  if  in  the  hope  of  seeing  Alston  return. 

"I  wonder  how  long  his  business  will  last,"  she 
confided  in  me.  "  He's  such  a  conscientious  man. 
I  know  he  would  not  have  altered  his  plans  if  it 
hadn't  been — "  She  paused,  a  frown  of  per- 
plexity and  annoyance  on  her  comely  face.  "  Have 
you  known  Mr.  Alston  long?" 

I  answered  in  the  negative  without  committing 
myself  to  details  or  dates.  I  daresay  Alston's 
own  cordial  manner  gave  an  erroneous  impression 
as  to  our  relations.  At  any  rate  she  had  by  this 
time  relaxed  her  guard  on  herself ;  she  was  warmed 
to  confidence  either  by  my  friendliness  or  by  her 
conjecture  of  my  friendship  with  Alston. 

"  He's  very  active,  isn't  he?  Are  all  Americans 
like — Do  you  think  that's  he  over  there?  Oh  no 
it's—" 

I  asked  in  my  turn  if  he  were  an  old  acquaint- 
ance of  hers,  on  which  she  looked  at  me  directly. 
She  had  her  daughter's  directness  of  vision. 


44  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Not  very  long,"  she  said.  "Perhaps  you're 
wondering — " 

I  was,  but  I  wondered  more  what  she  had  been 
going  to  say. 

"  You  see, "  she  said,  lowering  her  voice.  "  It's 
very  upsetting  considering  the  circumstances." 

"It's  certainly  annoying  to  have  one's  plans 
upset,"  I  murmured,  looking  at  Miss  Lovell, 
who  was  gazing  out  of  the  other  window  in  a 
brown  study.  The  mother  followed  my  gaze. 

"Of  course  it  would  naturally  upset  her," 
she  whispered. 

"Naturally,"  I  assented. 

"You  know — Mr.  Alston  has  told  you?"  she 
asked. 

"I  understand  that  he  is  a  fortunate  man," 
I  said  evasively. 

"This  is  terrible — almost  like  a  blow,"  the 
poor  lady  blurted  confidentially.  "You  see,  it 
was  to  have  taken  place  to-morrow." 

It  flashed  upon  me  what  she  meant.  "The 
marriage?"  I  said.  She  nodded,  pursing  her 
lips  warningly.  "In  London.  That's  why  we 
were  going." 

Perhaps  she  told  me  this  because  she  imagined 
me  to  be  a  friend  of  Alston's;  perhaps  it  was 
only  her  garrulous  nature.  She  was  greatly 
flustered,  and  had  lost  her  head. 

"Well,  there  is  still  to-morrow,"  I  said  reason- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  45 

ingly,  as  the  train  moved  out  slowly.  I  took  off 
my  hat.  Mrs.  Lovell  turned  in  a  flutter  to  see 
if  everything  was  in  the  carriage,  and  to  my 
salutation  only  a  grave  but  friendly  smile  re- 
sponded over  her  head. 

I  walked  out  upon  the  pierhead,  and  there 
was  my  boat  two  hundred  yards  away  en  route 
for  Portsmouth.  Well,  if  I  had  lost  it,  it  seemed 
foolish  to  wait  there ;  so  I  took  the  electric  tramway 
to  the  town  and  walked  up  Union  Street.  It 
was  a  surprise  to  me  that  Alston  had  been  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  on  his  wedding-journey. 
He  had  been  going  to  London  to  be  married.  I 
wondered  what  business  might  be  so  pressing,  so 
urgent,  as  to  be  excuse  for  the  interruption.  It 
seemed  on  the  first  sight  of  it  monstrous,  but 
then  as  Mrs.  Lovell  had  plaintively  observed 
"business"  has  a  bigger  hold  in  America  and  on 
Americans.  If  Alston  were  faced  with  disaster 
I  could  perhaps  understand  his  sudden  desertion. 
No  doubt  it  was  practical  wisdom  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  train,  to  have  the  track  ready,  as  it 
were.  But  frankly  I  could  not  have  left  the  girl 
as  he  had  done ;  I  should  have  let  Rudgwick  and 
Montana  go  hang  together,  and  steamed  equably 
into  Waterloo. 

In  the  midst  of  these  reflections  I  reached  the 
door  of  the  Bodega,  and  entered  for  a  glass  of 
wine.  It  was  vastly  better  than  the  refresh- 


46  THE  PRIVATEERS 

ment  bar  at  the  station,  and  less  formidable 
than  the  coffee-room  of  a  big  hotel.  I  sat  at  the 
counter  and  sipped  my  sherry,  and  cocked  an 
eye  over  some  illustrated  papers.  Presently 
from  the  recesses  came  the  tread  of  advancing 
feet  with  corresponding  voices.  My  back  was 
towards  the  persons  and  I  did  not  turn ;  but  out 
of  the  tail  of  an  idle  eye  perceived  them  as  they 
passed  away  towards  the  street  door.  It  was 
Alston  and  his  friend,  or  enemy,  Rudgwick,  and 
two  sentences  emerged  to  me  from  their  talk 
somewhat  louder  than  the  low  level  of  it.  One 
was  in  Rudgwick' s  incisive  accents,  and  seemed 
to  clinch  an  argument. 

"  Well,  now,  we  understand  each  other,  Fordyce, 
and  I  reckon  it's  just  as  well  we  had  this  talk. " 

"I'm  agreeable,"  said  Alston,  "I'm  always 
ready  to  stake  out  a  ring,  Wilson. " 

On  that  they  drifted  out,  evidently  on  terms 
of  reconciliation.  It  looked  as  if  they  had  settled 
their  differences  over  Montana  mines,  and  I 
should  not  like  to  have  had  to  say  with  which  lay 
the  victory.  Rudgwick  had  business  graven 
on  every  line  of  his  determined  face,  but  perhaps 
Alston  was  more  diplomatic.  He  might  have 
imagination,  which  is,  or  may  be,  the  secret  of 
success  even  in  business. 

When  I  was  in  the  Portsmouth  boat  I  had 
this  brought  home  to  me,  for  Alston  crossed  with 


THE  PRIVATEERS  47 

me,  much  to  his  gratification.  He  was  very 
talkative,  mainly  about  Rudgwick. 

"We  settled  everything,"  he  remarked  com- 
placently. "There  was  a  big  canon  between  us, 
but  we  bridged  it.  There  isn't  much  of  a  fissure 
now,  though  we're  on  opposite  sides,  so  to 
speak." 

"Montana?"  I  inquired. 

He  nodded.  "Wilson  Rudgwick' s  clever,  but 
he's  not  so  clever  as  he  thinks  or  looks.  If  he 
sees  a  thing  ahead  he's  got  good  eyes  and  sizes  it 
up.  He  draws  a  bead  on  a  distant  object  as  well 
as  any  man  I  know.  But  it's  just  got  to  be  there, 
and  that's  where  he  misses  things.  He  can't  see 
what  isn't  there,  and  he  ought  to.  What  you 
want  is  to  skin  your  eyes  closer  than  any  other 
man,  and  get  on  the  horizon.  There's  some  that 
can't  get  away  back  farther  than  the  foreground, 
and  some  can  fetch  away  to  the  middle  distance. 
But  the  man  that  wants  to  come  out  on  top  must 
be  prepared  to  adjudicate  on  the  horizon  every 
time." 

Thus  was  the  philosophy  of  business  unfolded 
to  me  apropos  of  Montana  mines.  I  was  inter- 
ested, for  the  point  of  view  and  the  phrasing  of 
it  alike  were  new  to  me. 

"Yes,  we've  fixed  up  a  working  arrangement," 
continued  Alston.  "And  I  don't  suppose  we'll 
quarrel  over  that,  at  any  rate,  though  when  it 


48  THE  PRIVATEERS 

comes  to  the  end  Rudgwick  won't  laugh.  But 
it's  all  right  and  pleasant  now." 

Why  then  was  he  going  to  Portsmouth  and 
London,  and  not  to  the  Manor  House  and  the 
distressed  ladies? 

You  will  think  that  all  these  questions  in  my 
own  mind  concerning  the  parties  were  inspired 
by  undue  curiosity,  but  the  fact  was  that  Alston's 
confidences,  together  with  the  coincidences  I 
have  already  related,  practically  thrust  them 
upon  me.  I  had  to  be  interested  so  long  as  I 
travelled  with  these  incidents  for  company.  And 
I  was  doomed  to  travel  with  them  longer;  but 
that,  I  confess,  was  my  own  doing.  It  came 
about  in  this  way. 

When  we  reached  Portsmouth  I  lost  sight  of 
Alston  for  a  time  in  the  bustle  of  the  station,  but 
saw  him  presently  issuing  from  the  telegraph 
office. 

"Say,  Mr.  Kerslake, "  he  hailed  me.  "Are 
you  going  back  to  the  hotel  to-night?" 

Now  my  luggage  had  been  landed  from  the 
steamer,  and  was  already  being  deposited  in  the 
cloak-room  in  preparation  for  my  departure  to 
London  that  evening.  And  I  had  mapped  out 
for  myself  a  fairly  full  afternoon.  In  his  pre- 
occupation with  his  own  affairs  Alston  had  not 
troubled  to  inquire  about  my  movements,  and 
it  appeared  that  he  thought  I  was  still  staying  at 


THE  PRIVATEERS  49 

Bembridge.  I  hesitated  for  no  earthly  reason 
that  I  could  have  told  you  then,  or  could  analyse 
now,  and  he  went  on  quickly: 

"Oh,  it's  all  right.  I  thought  you  might  be 
getting  back  to-night,  and  I  wanted  a  favour  of 
you.  It's  these  blamed  mails  of  yours.  I  don't 
exactly  trust  them.  I've  sent  a  wire,  but  I 
wanted  a  letter  to  reach  to-night.  I  guess  I'll 
express  it  off,  right  away." 

"I'll  have  it  sent,"  I  said. 

I  need  not  have  said  it,  but  I  knew  what  the 
letter  was.  The  telegram  had  gone  to  Mrs.  Lovell 
in  explanation  of  his  departure;  the  letter  was 
in  full  explanation  and  was  addressed  to  Miss 
Lovell. 

"No;  I  won't  worry  you,"  he  said  pleasantly. 

"I'm  going  back,"  said  I.  "I  can  have  it 
sent  this  evening." 

Alston  did  not  interest  me  more  than  a  little, 
and  I  did  not  care  two  straws  about  Rudgwick. 
But  I  had  been  tumbled  somehow  into  their 
affairs,  and  I  could  not  get  out.  Frankly  I  knew 
what  it  was.  There  were  several  influences  at 
work  on  me,  but  I  could  not  but  recognise  that 
one  was  the  most  powerful.  I  was  interested  in 
Sylvia  Lovell,  and  the  eclipse  of  her  dancing 
eyes.  It  was  a  ridiculous  thing  to  abandon  all 
my  plans  on  an  impulse,  but  I  have  always  been 
of  too  precipitate  a  nature  for  entire  worldly 


50  THE  PRIVATEERS 

success.  I  have  always  consoled  myself  by  as- 
suring myself  that  if  I  have  impetuosity,  I  have 
resolution,  and  do  not  go  back  on  my  impulses. 
Unhappily  analysis  comes  to  precipitate  people 
oftentimes  too  late,  and  they  see  the  errors  of 
their  course  behind  them.  Yet  I  have  known 
many  advantages  arising  out  of  a  quick  rash  mind. 
I  put  out  my  hand. 

"It's  real  good  of  you,"  said  Alston,  shaking 
it,  as  he  gave  me  the  letter.  "I  don't  think  I'd 
have  time  to  send  it  off  myself.  The  train's 
due  to  start  now.  I  hope  we'll  meet  again  soon, 
Mr.  Kerslake.  Goodbye,  and  I  won't  forget 
your  kindness." 

He  was  swept  into  the  train,  and  I  watched  it 
wind  out  of  the  station.  Then  my  eyes  left  it 
and  wandered  to  the  superscription  on  the  en- 
velope. Contrary  to  my  expectation  it  was 
addressed  to  Mrs.  Lovell  in  a  bold  and  rather 
formal  hand.  Then  I  looked  up,  and  a  man  was 
watching  me  across  the  platform 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  ABDUCTION 

I  RETURNED  to  Ryde  after  dinner,  and  took  the 
train  to  Brading,  which  was  the  nearest  station  to 
Bessenton  Manor.  I  had  "no  use,"  as  Alston 
might  have  said,  for  express  messengers  when  I 
could  take  the  place  myself  almost  en  route  for 
Bembridge.  I  sent  forward  my  bag  by  rail,  and 
in  the  gathering  twilight  climbed  the  slopes 
towards  the  sea.  When  I  had  reached  Bessenton 
it  was  gloaming,  and  the  light  lingered  only  in  the 
open  spaces  of  the  garden.  To  the  right  of  the 
house  was  a  neat  lawn  giving  on  the  flower  borders 
which  parted  it  from  a  tangled  orchard,  and  here 
I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  woman's  figure.  Con- 
ventionally I  should  have  rapped  on  the  door; 
what  I  did  was  to  turn  aside  upon  the  sward  and 
approach  her. 

" Good  evening,  Miss  Lovell, "  said  I.     "I  have 
a  letter  for  your  mother. " 

She  had  started  slightly,  and  it  was  a  moment 
ere  she  replied. 

"  Thank  you  so  much.     I  will  take  it  to  her. " 

She   reappeared   within   two   minutes,    which 
51 


52  THE  PRIVATEERS 

allowed  me  to  deduce  that  she  had  not  waited  to 
hear  the  letter  read. 

"Isn't  it  perfectly  charming?"  she  said. 

"  Is  the  Island  your  native  place? "  I  asked. 

"Yes;  this  was  my  father's  house,  but — "  she 
paused.  "  He  has  been  dead  a  long  time. " 

I  told  her  how  much  I  admired  the  situation, 
and  was  falling  into  a  pleasant  talk,  when  Mrs. 
Lovell's  voice  was  heard  calling  from  the  house. 

"Sylvia!  Sylvia!"  she  cried,  and  there  was 
an  unusual  flutter  in  it. 

The  girl  turned  her  head,  and  began  to  walk 
with  due  deliberation  across  the  lawn.  She  must 
have  known  that  there  was  news  concerning  her 
lover,  yet  she  showed  no  sign  of  haste  or  excite- 
ment. I  accompanied  her. 

"Sylvia!  he's  gone  to  London;  he's  gone  to 
get — "  Then  conscious  of  my  presence  she 
stopped.  "How  kind  of  you  to  bring  this!"  she 
declared  warmly.  "We  were  anxious.  The  tele- 
gram didn't — Sylvia  love,  you  must  read  this. " 

She  put  the  letter  in  her  daughter's  hand  with 
agitation,  which  the  girl  did  not  exhibit.  On  the 
contrary  she  went  slowly  into  the  drawing-room 
and  held  the  paper  to  the  light. 

"But — mother — "  she  looked  up,  and  an 
expression  of  dismay  crossed  her  face.  She 
folded  the  letter,  handed  it  back  and  with  a  sudden 
impulsiveness  went  out  of  the  room.  She  had 


THE  PRIVATEERS  53 

appeared  to  be  on  the  eve  of  exhibiting  some 
emotion,  and  to  have  gone  lest  she  should  betray 
herself.  Her  mother  watched  her  anxiously,  and 
turned  a  care-worn  face  on  me.  She  had  accepted 
me  now  outright  as  Alston's  friend  who  was  in 
his  confidence.  "She  is  naturally  excited,"  she 
explained.  "  Poor  Sylvia !  With  these  changes — 
You  know  how  it  is,  Mr.  Kerslake.  It's — it's 
very  upsetting  to  a  girl,  of  course.  I  wonder 
if—" 

She  fluttered  towards  the  door  as  if  she  would 
follow  her  daughter,  but  refrained.  "Of  course 
it  will  be  pleasanter  that  she  should  be  married 
from  her  home,  much  nicer. " 

"  Much, "  I  assented  wondering. 

"If  we  had  gone  to  town  it  would  have  been 
stiff er,  and  less  home-like,  if  somewhat  grander," 
said  the  lady.  "Whereas  at  Brading  or — "  she 
opened  the  letter  again.  '"Somewhere  in  your 
beautiful  island,'  "  she  read.  "  But  it  would  have 
to  be  Brading,  of  course.  That's  our  parish. 
Dear  me,  would  it  be  possible  to  get  married  in 
two  days,  Mr.  Kerslake?"  as  a  fresh  doubt 
assailed  her. 

"  With  a  special  license, "  I  explained. 

"Oh,  yes,  that  will  be  all  right  then,  because 
he's  gone  to  get  that  in  London,  and  he'll  be  back 
the  last  train  to-morrow  night. " 

"  He  wants  the  wedding  soon? "  I  asked. 


54  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"The  following  day,"  she  replied,  again  con- 
sulting the  letter. 

Alston  was  in  a  hurry,  and  it  struck  me  as 
precipitate.  I  was  not  particularly  pleased  at  the 
prospect,  and  I  thought  that  the  girl  was  not ;  but 
perhaps  it  was  on  the  score  of  her  trousseau,  or  it 
might  have  been  mere  maidenly  embarrassment. 

The  mother  emitted  a  sigh  of  relief  and  smiled. 
"Americans  are  quicker  than  we,  aren't  they? 
I  suppose  they  carry  their  new-fashioned  ways 
even  into  marriage,  and  hustle  along,  as  they 
call  it." 

"  I  gather  that  Mr.  Alston  is  not  the  sort  of  man 
to  lose  time  at  anything, "  I  remarked  casually. 

She  might  have  determined  from  that  statement 
my  unfamiliarity  with  the  American,  but  she  did 
not.  She  was  a  self-concentrated  woman  with 
an  anxious  outlook. 

" It  only  took  him  two  weeks  to  get  engaged," 
she  said  with  a  smile  of  one  who  has  triumphed. 

"And  he  has  been  engaged?"  I  queried  frankly 
this  time,  for  I  wanted  to  make  a  calculation. 

"One  week!"  she  smiled  very  broadly  into  my 
face  as  if  she  invited  me  to  tolerate  the  impetu- 
ousness  of  love. 

But  instead  I  made  my  easy  calculation. 
Alston  had  arrived  in  the  island  three  weeks  ago ; 
had  proposed  to  Miss  Lovell  within  a  fortnight, 
and  was  to  be  married  under  the  month.  It  did 


THE  PRIVATEERS  55 

have  the  air  of  impetuousness,  but  I  had  not 
thought  Alston  was  so  impetuous  as  that. 

Mrs.  Lovell  sat  down.  "  Of  course,  I  need  not 
say  I'm  relieved  it  did  turn  out  so,"  she  said 
confidentially.  "Mr.  Alston  is  everything  that 
one  could  desire  in  a  son-in-law.  He  is  a  gentle- 
man, and  has  good  manners,  and  he  is  consider- 
ation itself.  There's  something  in  the  attitude  of 
the  American  man  towards  women  that  is  very 
attractive.  They're  so  chivalrous. " 

"They  have  more  manner  than  we,"  I  agreed. 
"  But  I  don't  know  that  I  could  say  manners. " 

"Oh,  they're  charming.  And  of  course  it 
really  is  a  good  thing  for  Sylvia.  This  old  house 
and — "  She  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  It  would 
have  been  different  had  my  husband  lived.  But 
perhaps  it  is  all  for  the  best. " 

She  sighed  complacently,  while  my  eyes  went  to 
the  portrait  of  a  handsome  man  of  middle  age 
that  hung  over  the  mantelpiece.  It  was  a  jocund 
face,  of  rather  full  habit,  with  a  sparkle  in  the  eye, 
and  a  general  aspect  of  resolution.  If  this  were 
Mr.  Lovell,  as  he  lived,  I  was  sure  things  might 
have  been  different,  had  he  lived.  The  faded 
gentility  of  the  room  and  outlook  could  hardly 
have  subsisted  with  the  presence  of  that  full- 
blooded  man.  I  seemed  to  glimpse  now  the 
course  of  this  love-affair,  and  to  take  a  little 
suspicion  of  it.  I  wished  that  the  girl  might 


56  THE  PRIVATEERS 

return,  when  my  inquisitive  eyes  could  examine 
hers  with  deeper  scrutiny.  Her  emotion  had 
driven  her  forth,  but  what  emotion?  I  began  to 
guess,  and  I  thought  I  was  guessing  right.  Here 
was  a  wealthy  and  an  ardent  wooer,  and  on  the 
other  hand  an  anxious  and  embarrassed  mother, 
and  a  girl  with  childish  eyes .  The  solution  appeared 
to  be  inevitable.  The  problem  had  been  solved 
so  many  hundred  times  before  that  it  had  come  to 
be  almost  part  of  nature.  And  after  all  I  reflected 
that  Alston  was  not  a  bad  fellow.  But  Sylvia 
Lovell  did  not  return,  and  I  took  my  departure, 
perhaps  a  little  abruptly. 

I  reached  Bembridge  about  ten  o'clock,  and 
the  first  man  I  saw  at  the  hotel  was  Rudgwick, 
Rudgwick  smoking  a  long  cigar  and  drinking 
a  whiskey  and  soda,  Rudgwick  with  his  soft  hat 
tilted  over  his  forehead,  plunged  in  profound 
meditation.  He  came  out  of  it  forthright, 
greeting  me. 

"That  you,  Mr.  Kerslake?"  he  said.  "Come 
away  here,  and  keep  me  company.  I  thought 
you'd  gone. " 

"I  go  to-morrow  afternoon,"  said  I  taking  a 
seat. 

He  gave  me  a  steady  look  in  his  calculating 
way.  "  Well,  I  can  put  in  a  week  or  two  here,  I 
guess,  if  this  weather  holds.  I'm  going  to  find 
time  to  learn  golf,  which  my  friend  Alston 


THE  PRIVATEERS  57 

recommends  to  me  as  a  game  to  keep  your  mind 
off  business.  It's  like  whiskey  and  soda,  maybe; 
you  want  the  soda  to  mix  with  the  whiskey. " 

"Most  golfers  would  call  their  holidays  mere 
soda  water  without  golf  to  inspirit  them,"  I  said. 

"Is  that  so?  Well,  I'm  going  to  learn,  and 
when  Alston  comes  back  he  shall  give  me 
wrinkles.  I  suppose  he  won't  be  away  long. " 

The  tone  was  almost  an  inquiry,  but  it  might 
have  been  a  statement  only.  I  answered  it  as  the 
first. 

"He  comes  back  to-morrow  night  last  train, 
I  believe." 

He  nodded.  "Then  we'll  make  a  start  next 
day." 

I  was  interfering  in  these  people's  affairs,  which 
were  none  of  mine;  but  they  would  force  them 
upon  my  attention. 

"I'm  afraid  you  won't  get  Mr.  Alston's  help, 
that  day,"  I  said  with  a  certain  bluff  ness.  "As 
it's  his  wedding-day." 

Rudgwick  stared  me  full  in  the  face  for  half  a 
minute.  His  expression  underwent  no  change, 
save  for  a  little  squaring  of  the  already  square 
jaws. 

"That  so?"  he  observed  at  last,  "I  hadn't  a 
notion  it  was  so  near.  Fact  is,  we  talked  business 
all  along  this  morning,  and  hadn't  time  for  mere 
matrimony.  Well,  Fordyce  is  a  clever  boy  and 


58  THE  PRIVATEERS 

a  smart.  I'm  not  sure  he's  so  smart  as  he  thinks 
himself,  but  he's  right  down  smart. " 

This  was  so  precisely  what  Alston  had  said  of 
Rudgwick  that  the  coincidence  tickled  me. 

"And  a  very  pretty  girl, "he  added  critically. 
"A  real  good  sample  of  the  old  country  at  her 
best."  I  agreed,  and  Rudgwick  finished  his 
whiskey  at  a  gulp  and  rose.  "I'm  going  to  keep 
early  hours  on  my  vacation, "  he  said.  "  I'm  going 
to  rise  fresh  as  paint  every  dawn.  Say,  Fordyce 
would  likely  get  a  special  license  in  London. 
Business  and  pleasure  combined,  eh?" 

The  black-hulled  schooner  lay  once  more  in  the 
offing  when  I  pulled  aside  the  curtains  of  my 
bed-room  window  next  morning.  The  sea  was  as 
quiet  as  a  nun,  and  the  sun  was  already  well 
advanced  in  a  serene  heaven,  giving  promise  of 
great  heat.  Rudgwick  I  did  not  see  until  late  in 
the  morning  when  he  visited  the  hotel,  to  which  I 
had  just  returned  from  a  dip  in  the  sea.  He  was 
smoking  the  usual  cigar  which  he  took  from  the 
grip  of  his  teeth  to  chaff  me.  He  had  evidently 
no  opinion  of  our  English  watering-places,  and 
humourously  expatiated  on  the  bathing  tents. 

"I'm  English  by  birth,"  he  said,  "and  I  can 
afford  to  say  it,  while  Alston  can't,  you  see. 
That  makes  the  difference  between  us.  I  can 
patronise  your  scenery,  and  he  can't,  at  least  not 
with  any  decency,  while  he's  over  here.  When  he 


THE  PRIVATEERS  59 

gets  along  there,  he  can  talk  if  he  likes.  You 
known  Fordyce  long?" 

"Our  acquaintance  is  two  days  old,  I  think," 
I  told  him.  "  We  are  merely  hotel  acquaint- 
ances." 

"Ah!"  he  nodded,  "I  thought  from  what  you 
said  as  to  his  marriage  you'd  know  him  pretty 
well." 

"Oh,  but  you  must  know  that  Mr.  Alston 
makes  familiarity  very  easy, "  said  I  curtly.  "  He 
has  short  cuts." 

Rudgwick  laughed.  "I  suppose  he  has.  He 
talks  at  any  rate,  and  talk  tells — one  way  or  the 
other.  But  Fordyce's  garrulousness  is  about — 
say,  I'd  wager  that  Fordyce  didn't  specify  his 
marriage  to  you,  Mr.  Kerslake. " 

"No,"  said  I  stiffly,  "not  the  exact  date.  I 
heard  it  from  Mrs.  Lovell. " 

"  Is  she  an  old  friend  of  yours,  by  any  chance? " 
he  inquired  bending  his  obstinate  eyes  on  me. 

I  was  annoyed  at  this  cross-questioning  by  a 
stranger  and  answered  shortly:  "I've  known  her 
a  day  less  than  I've  known  Mr.  Alston. " 

He  seemed  to  recognise  that  I  resented  the 
inquisition,  for  he  laughed  good-humouredly,  and 
pointed  to  his  yacht  with  his  cigar. 

"  Pretty  boat,  Mr.  Kerslake. " 

I  admitted  it,  for  the  schooner  was  a  picture, 
and  had  already  charmed  my  sailor's  eyes. 


60  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  She  can  show  a  clean  pair  of  heels  to  anything 
her  own  weight,"  said  the  owner  proudly.  "You 
come  along,  Mr.  Kerslake,  and  have  a  look  at  her. 
Say,  what's  the  matter  with  now?  You're  going 
this  afternoon,  you  say?  Well,  I  should  like  your 
honest  opinion  as  an  expert,  what  you  think  of 
her.  What  do  you  say  ? ' ' 

"I  should  like  to  very  much,"  I  answered,  for 
I  never  can  resist  a  yacht. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  we  were  being  pulled 
out  to  the  schooner  inside  five  minutes,  and  that 
within  ten  minutes  I  was  standing  on  the  polished 
white  deck  of  the  Mermaid. 

"  My  captain,  Mr.  Jude  Bacon,  Lieutenant  Ker- 
slake," introduced  the  proud  owner,  as  a  short 
red-faced  man  with  prominent  blue  eyes  ad- 
vanced. I  looked  about  me.  A  sailor  was  busy 
with  a  coil  of  rope  not  six  paces  from  me,  and 
turning  presented  himself  fully  to  me,  round  of 
face  and  puffy,  small-eyed  and  bullet-headed.  It 
was  the  man  who  had  stared  at  me  in  Portsmouth 
station. 

And  on  that,  as  if  directed  by  design,  my  glance 
alighted  on  the  man  who  had  pursued  me  to  the 
Manor  House  two  nights  before.  Had  this 
second  man  also  followed  me?  Or  had  it  been 
Alston  ?  I  was  nothing  to  anyone  of  that  crew.  I 
was  to  Rudgwick  merely  a  man  who  was  departing 
at  four  o'clock  out  of  his  life  and  Alston's.  No; 


THE  PRIVATEERS  61 

if  anyone  had  been  watched  it  was  Alston.  This 
man  had  witnessed  Alston's  departure  to  London. 
Perhaps  it  was  "  business  "  again ;  or  it  might  have 
been  sheer  coincidence. 

I  was  soon  engaged  in  an  interesting  inspection 
of  the  schooner  which  was  exhibited  to  me  by 
Rudgwick  with  a  certain  fervour  hitherto  un- 
perceived  in  him.  He  called  this  man  and  that, 
had  details  bared  for  my  admiration,  and  wound 
up  with  a  chaffing  remark  regarding  the  America 
Cup.  The  boat  was  not  large,  but  was  skilfully 
designed  to  combine  elegance  with  comfort,  and 
I  envied  the  owner,  as  I  told  him  to  his  delight. 
What  particularly  struck  me  was  the  commo- 
diousnessof  the  salons  and  staterooms,  which  were 
furnished  with  all  the  taste  and  luxury  necessary 
at  the  command  of  a  millionaire.  In  one  of  the 
rooms — which  Rudgwick  called  his  bureau — was 
a  man  at  work  at  a  table.  He  had  dark  ruffled 
hair,  streaked  with  grey,  an  odd  bunched-up  face, 
and  bright  eyes  which  he  fastened  on  me  momen- 
tarily as  I  entered,  and  then  lowered  to  his  papers 
again.  Business  was  business,  I  supposed  once 
more,  and  could  not  brook  interruption  even  of 
this  transitory  character. 

We  parted  on  deck  very  amicably  and  with 
mutual  compliments. 

" So  you're  off  at  four?"  he  asked  as  I  got  into 
the  boat  which  was  to  take  me  to  the  shore.  "I'm 


62  THE  PRIVATEERS 

glad  to  have  made  your  acquaintance.  Let's  see, 
when  is  Alston  arriving  back  ? ' ' 

"Last  train  to-night,"  I  answered.  "Please 
make  him  my  adieux. " 

"I  will,"  he  returned,  and  waved  a  farewell 
at  me. 

But  I  did  not  leave  at  four  for  the  simple  reason 
that  I  was  enticed  into  a  foursome,  and  we  played 
till  well  on  in  the  afternoon ;  so  that  I  decided  to 
dine  at  the  hotel  and  cross  later  to  sleep  with  a 
friend  at  Portsmouth.  And  when  the  carriage 
arrived  for  myself  and  my  bag  I  had  a  sudden 
inspiration.  It  was  still  very  hot,  but  the  breath 
of  the  downs  was  cool,  and  I  thought  I  would 
drive  to  Brading  by  way  of  Bessenton.  It  was 
unconventional,  but  I  thought  it  would  be  nice  to 
call  on  the  Lo veils  and  bid  them  goodbye.  I 
have  no  excuse  to  offer  except  that — well  I  was 
interested  in  Miss  Lovell ;  that  was  all. 

When  my  carriage  was  skirting  the  shoulder  of 
the  downs  I  passed  a  pedestrian,  who  looked  up 
quickly,  stared  at  me  a  moment,  and  then  looked 
away.  It  was  the  man  I  had  seen  at  Portsmouth, 
and  suspected  of  following  Alston.  But  he  did 
not  remain  long  in  my  mind,  which  went  forward 
to  greet  Sylvia  Lovell,  the  prospective  bride  of  my 
acquaintance  of  two  days.  It  was  singular  how 
she  returned  to  the  memory.  In  the  narrow  lane 
which  led  up  to  the  Manor  House  a  carriage  was 


THE  PRIVATEERS  63 

waiting,  the  driver  idly  flicking  the  hedge  with 
his  whip.  It  was  drawn  up  before  no  house,  and 
seemed  to  have  no  object  in  its  existence.  The 
driver  ceased  to  play  with  his  whip  as  we  passed 
him  and  gave  us  a  glance;  and  I  recognised  him 
as  the  odd-faced  man  who  had  been  writing  in  the 
yacht.  I  daresay  if  I  had  not  been  so  close  upon 
my  destination  this  might  have  struck  me  as 
curious,  but  I  had  hardly  room  to  think  of  co- 
incidences just  then.  I  was  engaged  in  hoping 
that  my  intrusion  would  not  be  regarded  as  a 
liberty.  I  did  not  think  Mrs.  Lovell  would  look 
upon  it  in  that  light,  being  as  she  was  fully  under 
the  impression  that  I  was  a  friend  of  Alston's,  but 
I  was  uncertain  of  her  daughter.  I  did  not 
quite  know  how  to  estimate  her,  and  I  wanted  to 
know.  The  glow  of  the  sun  was  dying  in  the 
west  as  I  entered  the  gate. 

The  maid  who  opened  the  door  informed  me  that 
Mrs.  Lovell  was  not  in,  but  went  at  once  to  tell 
her  young  mistress  of  my  arrival;  and  presently 
Sylvia  Lovell  entered  the  room  in  an  obvious 
state  of  unrest. 

I  explained  that  I  had  come  to  make  my 
adieux,  and  that  the  carriage  was  waiting  to  carry 
me  to  the  station. 

"My  mother,"  she  said,  "has  gone  to  Ryde 
unfortunately.  She — she  will  be  sorry  to  have 
missed  you." 


64  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I  did  not  know  that  I  was  honestly  sorry  to  have 
missed  her ;  and  I  sat  down  to  take  advantage  of 
the  situation. 

"  Are  you  leaving  the  Island? "  she  asked. 

'"Yes.     And  you?"  I  asked  with  a  smile. 

She  coloured.  "Oh,  I  don't  know.  I  suppose — I 
mean  I  think  Mr.  Alston  will  live  in  America.  He 
has  business  there. ' '  She  had  not  the  air  of  a  happy 
bride,  and  was  very  nervous  in  her  movements. 

"  The  great  event  is  to-morrow? "  I  asked. 

She  rose  hastily.  "I  don't  know.  I — I  don't 
think  anything  is  quite  settled,"  she  said  con- 
fusedly. She  made  a  feint  of  opening  the  window 
wider.  The  lawn  was  fading  into  the  shadows  of 
dusk.  For  a  moment  she  stood  with  her  back  to 
me,  looking  forth  into  the  evening,  while  I 
admired  the  graceful  lines  of  her  figure;  and 
then  she  turned. 

"My  mother  went  to  meet  Mr.  Alston,"  she 
said.  "He  telegraphed,"  and  impulsively  she 
put  the  telegram  in  my  hand.  I  liked  the  little 
impulsiveness ;  it  betrayed  confidence  in  me,  or 
so  I  liked  to  think.  I  read  the  telegram. 

"  Please  meet  me  eight,  hotel  Ryde,  alone,  im- 
portant. Alston." 

I  looked  at  the  office  of  despatch  and  found  it 
was  Portsmouth. 

"Then  Mr.  Alston  has  got  back  earlier  than  he 
expected, "  I  said. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  65 

But  after  that  burst  of  impulse  she  seemed  to 
have  reclined  on  reserve.  "I  suppose  so,"  she 
said  formally. 

But  I  too  have  my  impulsive  moods,  and  here 
was  one. 

"Miss  Lovell,"  said  I,  "I  have  known  Mr. 
Alston  two  days  and  a  bit,  and  I  have  seen  you 
four  times  at  most.  I'm  going  clean  out  of  your 
lives  within  ten  minutes,  indeed  two  minutes 
if  you  resent,  as  you  well  may,  what  I  am  say- 
ing. But — but  I  have  eyes,  and  frankly  do  you 
want  any  help  ?  Is  all  quite  right  ?  I  am  imperti- 
nent, I  know,  but  I  have  noticed — " 

She  had  drawn  herself  together,  and  gave  me  a 
startled  look.  Then  her  expression  altered,  and 
when  she  spoke  her  voice  was  cold. 

"Thank  you.  I  don't  quite  understand  what 
you  mean.  I  have  no  doubt  you  mean  to  be 
kind,  but  aren't  you  rather  portentous?" 

I  was.  I  felt  an  ass,  and  I  took  my  hat. 
"  Forgive  me, "  said  I  humbly,  "  I  had  no  right  to 
address  you.  I  am  a  foolish  person,  who  tends  to 
build  up  imaginary  structures  on  the  flimsiest 
foundation.  But  there,  they're  in  ruins.  Good- 
bye, and  may  life  bring  you  all  happiness ! " 

I  got  out  of  the  room  awkwardly  and  blundered 
down  the  hall,  fumbling  at  the  door.  Ere  I  could 
get  it  open  Miss  Lovell  had  reached  it,  and  turned 
the  handle.  She  put  out  her  hand,  and  in  the 


66  THE  PRIVATEERS 

dull  light  I  could  see  her  face  wholly  transfigured. 
It  was  alive  with  feeling. 

"It  was  good  of  you.  I  didn't  mean  to  hurt 
you,"  she  stammered.  "Please  remember  I  am 
grateful,  only  it  seemed  strange. " 

"It  was  unpardonable,"  said  I  with  a  nervous 
laugh,  and  on  that  the  words,  "God  bless  you," 
ran  off  my  tongue  ere  I  knew  it.  The  next 
moment  I  was  in  the  lane  and  in  the  carriage. 

"  The  station ! "  I  called  to  the  driver  in  a  tumult 
of  confusion  and  shame,  and  he  whipped  up  his 
wiry  Island  pony,  and  we  rattled  down  the  hill. 
It  was  some  minutes  before  I  had  recovered  from 
my  embarrassment,  and  even  then  I  could  not  look 
back  on  the  incident  without  discomfort.  I  had 
violated  all  the  rules  and  courtesies  that  bound 
the  mutual  relations  of  acquaintances,  and  had 
been  put  in  my  place  very  properly  by  a  slip  of  a 
girl.  That  she  had  done  it  so  kindly  rather 
aggravated  the  case,  for  it  would  have  been  less 
disconcerting  to  have  been  bowed  out  with 
hauteur.  I  turned  aside  for  the  consideration  of 
my  solecism  deliberately  at  last,  in  the  hope  of 
getting  into  a  better  frame  of  mind ;  and  became 
conscious  of  the  darkling  sky.  The  lane  was  in 
the  full  leafage  of  summer,  and  sunk  betwixt 
high  hedges;  so  that  we  drove  in  a  deeper  night 
than  held  the  stars  overhead.  It  must  have  been 
half  way  to  Brading  station  that  I  caught  the 


'The  two  vehicles  crashed  into  one  another  in  the  narrow  lane' 


THE  PRIVATEERS  67 

sound  of  an  approaching  trap,  and  then  suddenly 
the  driver  took  a  corner  sharply  and  the  two 
vehicles  crashed  into  one  another  in  the  narrow 
lane. 

I  jumped  out  at  once,  for  one  of  the  occupants 
of  the  other  carriage  was  a  lady,  as  I  could  see  by 
the  dress.  Also  she  had  called  out  in  alarm.  A 
man  beside  her  followed  my  example  in  descending, 
and  we  met  between  the  struggling  horses. 

"Now,  was  that  your  fault  or  ours?"  he  in- 
quired, and  instantly  I  knew  him.  It  was 
Alston.  Then  the  lady  must  be  Mrs.  Lovell.  I 
revealed  myself,  but  neither  repudiated  nor 
accepted  responsibility  for  my  driver.  No  dam- 
age had  been  done.  We  shook  hands  heartily. 

"Now  this  is  real  luck,"  he  said.  "Mrs.  Lovell, 
it's  Lieutenant  Kerslake. " 

"I  have  just  had  the  misfortune  to  miss  Mrs. 
Lovell,"  said  I  greeting  that  lady;  and  I  ex- 
plained where  I  had  been. 

"Ah!  "said  Alston. 

"Miss  Lovell  told  me  you  had  gone  to  meet 
Mr.  Alston, "  I  explained  further. 

"Well;  that's  very  interesting,  seeing  that 
Mr.  Alston  didn't  think  of  meeting  her,"  said 
Alston  dryly.  ' 

I  did  not  understand,  and  said  nothing.  It  was 
the  lady  who  explained  volubly. 

"Mr.  Alston  never  sent  any  telegram.     I  only 


68  THE  PRIVATEERS 

met  him  by  accident  on  the  pier.  He  wasn't  at 
the  hotel  and  so  I  waited  there,  and  then  went  to 
the  pierhead  and  accidentally  met  him. " 

"  But  I  saw  the  wire, "  I  said  in  surprise. 

"That's  just  what  I'm  anxious  to  do,"  said 
Alston  quickly,  "and  so  if  you  don't  mind  we'll  get 
along.  Say,"  he  continued  as  an  afterthought, 
"  You  staying  at  Bembridge  last  night? " 

"Yes." 

"  Did  you  see  Rudgwick  there? " 

"  Yes ;  I  visited  his  yacht  to-day. " 

He  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then  his  voice  had 
changed.  "I  don't  like  this — I  don't  like  this  wire. 
See  here,  Mr.  Kerslake,  will  you  come  along  with 
us?  Can't  you  stay  awhile?  Coachman,  how 
long  will  it  take  you  to  get  to  Bessenton,  driving 
like  hell?  Come  along,  Mr.  Kerslake.  Damn  it, 
I'm  not  done  yet.  You  come  along.  There's 
something  in  this.  I  don't  like  it — I  don't  like 
it." 

His  voice  was  no  longer  sleek,  but  harsh;  he 
had  in  a  moment  cast  his  whole  temperament,  and 
now  I  could  see  or  hear  rather,  a  new  Alston, 
perhaps  a  Montana  Alston  of  the  mining  camp. 
But  the  new  note  alarmed  me,  bringing  to  a  head 
a  host  of  misgivings  and  suspicions  which  I  had 
never  really  formulated.  I  could  not  have  gone 
forward  now  to  Brading  if  I  had  tried;  and  so, 
hardly  troubling  to  make  a  formal  assent  to  his 


THE  PRIVATEERS  69 

proposal,  and  not  questioning  further  into  his 
motives,  I  had  the  carriage  turned  and  followed 
after  him.  What  he  said  or  what  face  he  showed 
to  his  companion  during  the  rest  of  the  journey  I 
do  not  know.  I  was  occupied  on  my  part  with 
vague  fears  and  above  all  with  a  sense  of  be- 
wilderment. What  did  it  all  mean  ? 

When  I  reached  the  door  Mrs.  Lovell  and 
Alston  had  already  preceded  me  by  a  few  minutes ; 
and  I  entered  the  room  to  the  sound  of  a  woman's 
shrieks.  Mrs.  Lovell  was  on  the  sofa  in  a  collapse, 
and  Alston  stood  by  her,  a  frown  bitten  deep  in 
his  brow.  He  looked  up  when  he  heard  me. 

"Will  you  pass  the  water,  Mr.  Kerslake, "  he 
asked.  "  She's  hysterical. " 

"What — what — has  happened?"  I  said  anx- 
iously. 

He  threw  a  glance  at  me,  as  he  administered 
the  water. 

"  Miss  Lovell's  gone, "  said  he  shortly. 

"Gone!  "I  echoed. 

"  Abducted ! "  he  said  still  coolly. 

"Abducted!"  I  repeated.  Abducted!  What 
indeed  did  it  all  mean? 


CHAPTER  V 
MORNING  GLORY 

ALSTON  stood  looking  down  on  the  hysterical 
woman  with  pre-occupation  and  indifference  in 
his  eye.  It  was  undoubtedly  annoying  that 
Mrs.  Lovell  should  so  inconveniently  have  given 
way,  but  it  was  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  in  a 
woman  of  her  excitable  and  anxious  temperament. 
Her  daughter  abducted!  The  idea  seemed  gro- 
tesque, anachronistic,  out  of  keeping  with  that 
quiet  rural  scenery  and  those  homely  shores. 

Alston  threw  the  handkerchief  he  held  on  the 
table. 

"Take  charge  here  like  a  good  man,"  he  said 
peremptorily,  "I've  got  to  make  inquiries. " 

He  left  the  room  swiftly  without  awaiting  an 
answer,  and  I  took  up  the  duty  of  restoring  the 
lady  to  her  senses.  She  came  to  by  degrees, 
becoming  meekly  plaintive  and  helpless,  as 
though  she  had  exhausted  her  capacity  for  feeling 
in  tears.  She  spoke  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  she  had 
been  on  her  death-bed  and  offering  me  her  last 
confidences,  while  I  continued  to  soothe  and 

70 


THE  PRIVATEERS  71 

encourage  her  with  what  comforting  words  I 
might  find. 

"  It  was  too  good  to  be  true.  I  knew  it, "  she 
asserted.  "  Things  were  going  on  so  well  too.  I 
ought  to  have  been  warned.  But  who  could  have 
thought  of  this  ?  Poor  Sylvia  stolen ! ' ' 

"  There  must  be  some  mistake, "  said  I.  "  Girls 
are  not  abducted  in  this  way.  Besides  who  would 
doit?" 

"An  enemy,"  she  said,  raising  herself  on  her 
arm,  and  speaking  with  bated  breath.  "An 
enemy  of  Mr.  Alston's.  He  says  he  knows.  It's 
a  vendetta  or  something  over  there.  And  he's 
struck  at  him  this  way. " 

I  was  silent  pondering.  My  mind  flew  in- 
stantly to  Rudgwick.  The  challenging  faces  of 
the  two  men  flashed  before  me;  and  then  I  saw 
the  bloated  sailor  creeping  by  the  shoulder  of  the 
downs  in  the  dusk,  and  that  restless  figure  in  the 
carriage,  with  the  shock  head  and  sallow  face, 
flicking  a  whip  at  the  hedge.  I  wondered,  and  my 
wonder  deepened  into  something  else,  something 
that  was  near  illumination.  Mrs.  Lovell's  melan- 
choly voice  broke  on  my  thoughts.  "It  would 
have  been  such  a  good  thing  for  her.  We  have 
always  known  what  it  was  to  want.  Dear 
Sylvia  only  last  month  was  obliged  to  sell  some 
of  her  jewellery.  I've  stood  it  as  long  as  I  could; 
but  the  house  is  expensive,  Mr.  Kerslake,  and 


72  THE  PRIVATEERS 

hard  to  let  out  in  this  lonely  place.  It  isn't  as  if 
it  was  near  the  sea.  And  Sylvia  liked  him  so 
much." 

I  saw  that,  had  I  wished  it,  nay  even  if  I  had 
wished  it  not,  the  whole  story  would  have  been 
forced  into  my  ears.  She  was  unstrung,  she 
wanted  sympathy,  and  I  believe  she  was  vaguely 
in  her  own  mind  offering  excuses  for  herself.  She 
had  brought  about  this  match  with  a  wealthy 
stranger  precipitately,  and  her  daughter  "liked 
him  so  much."  She  had  done  it  for  both  their 
sakes,  but  I  really  believe  she  thought  it  was 
more  on  account  of  her  daughter. 

"  It  is  so  hard  on  a  girl, "  she  explained  wearily, 
"  to  have  no  future,  no  prospect  and  to  be  stinted 
in  youth — to  lack  everything. " 

So  it  is;  but  the  present  case  of  Sylvia  Lovell 
seemed  to  be  even  harder,  if  all  was  true.  Alston 
entered  as  abruptly  as  he  had  left. 

"That  hired  girl  is  about  scared  to  death,"  he 
said  grimly,  "  I  believe  she  thinks  I'm  worse  than 
the  marauders.  However,  I've  got  most  of  what 
I  want  out  of  her.  You'll  see  me  through  this 
night,  Mr.  Kerslake? "  I  nodded.  "  That's  right. 
Now,  we've  got  no  time  to  lose.  Let's  get  aboard 
your  carriage." 

I  was  ignorant  of  many  things  I  should  like  to 
have  known,  but  I  accepted  marching  orders 
without  a  word,  and,  leaving  Mrs.  Lovell  mistress 


'Alston   stood  looking   uown  on  the   hysterical  woman,  with 
pre-occupation  and  indifference  in  his  eye" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  73 

of  herself  once  more,  we  set  out.  She  appeared 
to  rest  absolutely  on  Alston,  and  to  take  his 
ultimate  success  as  a  matter  of  course. 

"  You  will  bring  her  back  to  me  at  once,  won't 
you?"  she  pleaded,  and  he  nodded,  with  a  little 
smile. 

"Don't  you  worry  any,"  he  advised  her. 
"  This  is  my  funeral. " 

It  was  an  odd  phrase  at  that  moment,  and 
contrasted  in  my  mind  with  the  marriage  which 
he  had  anticipated  on  the  morrow.  But  that 
night  Alston  shed  every  sign  and  symptom  of  the 
sensitiveness  with  which  he  usually  impressed  one. 
And  that  was  the  first  time  I  saw  him  compara- 
tively undraped,  but  not  the  last,  as  you  shall 
hear. 

"I  can't  stick  an  hysterical  woman,"  he 
remarked,  as  we  bowled  along  through  the  night 
towards  Sandown,  and  thus  dismissed  poor  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "Say,  there's  one  thing  you  ought  to 
know,  Kerslake,  and  that's  this.  You've  been 
good  and  asked  no  questions,  and  made  no 
bother,  and  handled  the  sponge  and  so  forth.  But 
I've  run  up  against  a  snag  just  here,  and  if  you 
were  sharp  as  a  needle  you  couldn't  put  a  name 
on  it." 

"I  think  I  could,"  said  I.     "Rudgwick!" 

He  whistled.  "  How  did  you  get  round  there  ? " 
he  asked. 


74  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  I  just  put  two  and  two  together, "  I  said. 

In  the  darkness  I  felt  he  was  examining  me 
carefully,  and  added:  "Mrs.  Lovell  said  you 
declared  it  to  be  the  work  of  an  enemy,  and  I 
knew  you  were  at  loggerheads  with  Rudgwick. 
Besides  I  saw  two  of  his  men  up  here. " 

"You  did?"  he  asked  in  some  excitement. 
"Tell." 

"I  encountered  a  sailor  from  the  yacht  as  I 
drove  up  and  there  was  another  yacht  hand 
waiting  in  a  carriage  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  house." 

"  Now,  why  in  the  blazes  didn't  you  say  that 
before? "  he  cried  almost  roughly. 

"What  bearing  had  that  knowledge  on  Miss 
Lovell's  disappearance  until  I  had  the  clue  from 
Mrs.  Lovell?"  I  asked. 

"True,"  he  assented.  "You  couldn't  suspect. 
No.  Well,  anyway,  you're  right.  This  is  Rudg- 
wick's  hand,  and  I  know  it.  I  had  more  than  a 
fear  when  I  heard  about  that  telegram.  That 
was  to  get  Mrs.  Lovell  out  of  the  way.  The  hired 
girl  was  negligible.  Two  men  met  her  at  the 
door,  says  she,  and  locked  her  in  a  room  where  we 
found  her.  She  might  have  screamed  there  till 
daylight  without  being  heard  in  this  solitude. 
Then  there  was  the  carriage  you  saw.  Oh,  yes, 
Rudgwick  managed  it  like  clockwork.  He's  good 
at  machinery,  keeps  it  in  good  oiled  working 


THE  PRIVATEERS  75 

order.  He  didn't  reckon  on  any  hitch.  But  as 
it  chanced  I  caught  an  earlier  train. " 

"  Have  you  any  guess  where  they  will  be  gone? " 
I  asked. 

"  They  didn't  go  Brading  way,  or  we  should  have 
met  them ;  and  I  doubt  if  they  went  to  Bembridge. 
We'll  have  a  look  at  the  lane  and  the  wheel-marks 
when  we  get  to  the  cross-roads.  My  idea  is 
Rudgwick's  got  his  yacht  off  Sandown.  That 
would  be  nearest. " 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  on  earth  his  object 
could  be  in  kidnapping  a  young  lady  of  whom  he 
knows  nothing,  and  what  he  looks  for  out  of  the 
outrage." 

"Since  you're  in  this  tonight  with  me,  you've  got 
a  right  to  know, "  said  Alston  deliberately.  "  And 
I'm  going  to  tell  you  right  away.  It's  not  the 
first  time  we've  run  up  against  each  other,  Wilson 
Rudgwick  and  I.  Maybe  it  won't  be  the  last. 
But  this  occasion's  the  biggest.  This  Montana 
deal  has  gone  against  him  badly,  and  he  knows  it 
for  all  his  show  of  indifference.  It's  got  between 
the  joints  of  his  armour,  and  he  feels  pretty  bad. 
Last  thing  he  did  was  to  make  me  an  offer  yester- 
day. I  don't  say  that  in  its  way  it  wasn't  a 
liberal  sort  of  offer.  But  as  it  happens  I  hold  the 
cards,  and  I'm  not  going  about  Wall  Street  for  the 
sake  of  philanthropy.  So  I  declined  his  generous 
terms,  and  he's  laid  for  me  another  way. " 


76  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"But  Miss  Lovell — "  I  said,  and  then  jumped 
at  what  he  was  hinting.  "You  mean  she's  a 
hostage?" 

"  Precisely, "  he  assented.  "  Sylvia  won't  come 
by  any  harm ;  it's  me  that's  meant  to  suffer. " 

"But  it  is  monstrous,"  I  protested.  "People 
don't  do  these  things. " 

"Don't  they?"  he  retorted^quite  complacently. 
"Paul  Jones  wasn't  much  of  a  pirate  compared 
with  Wilson  Rudgwick  when  he's  on  the  loose  end 
of  a  business  deal.  He  wants  me  to  give  terms; 
but  I  will  see  him  and  hear  him  sizzling  on  the 
gridiron  below  before  I  call  a  truce.  He's  run  up 
against  something  harder  than  a  brick  wall  this 
time." 

This  broke  from  him  with  a  certain  grossness  of 
accent,  and  yet  with  a  forcefulness  which  could  not 
but  impress  one.  Out  of  the  sweet  and  sleek  the 
strong  seemed  that  night  to  have  emerged.  I  had 
an  increased  respect  for  Herbert  Fordyce  Alston 
but  I  do  not  know  that  my  fancy  for  him  was 
augmented. 

At  the  cross-roads  we  pulled  up,  and  with  the 
aid  of  matches  made  an  examination  of  the  road. 
The  marks  were  unintelligible  to  me,  but  my 
companion  seemed  satisfied  with  his  inspection. 
He  announced  that  Sandown  was  our  destination, 
and  we  resumed  our  journey  which  was  now  down 
hill  in  silence,  and  at  an  accelerated  pace.  I  was 


THE  PRIVATEERS  77 

occupied  by  my  own  thoughts  which  were  miscel- 
laneous and  curiously  mixed,  while  on  his  part  I 
have  no  doubt  Alston  was  similarly  engaged. 
After  all  he  had  lost  a  bride,  though  at  present  I 
was  inclined  to  underestimate  the  situation.  I 
could  not  bring  myself  to  regard  the  incident  as  so 
serious  as  it  seemed  to  him,  for  all  his  outward 
coolness.  Things  did  not  happen  that  way,  at 
least  in  England,  and  bluff  (I  flattered  myself) 
did  not  "go  down"  in  my  country,  as  possibly  it 
did  in  America.  I  was  in  fact  a  little  conventional 
in  my  outlook,  as  I  see  now,  not  realising  the 
formidable  possibilities  of  human  life  and  human 
nature  under  unusual  stress.  Well,  I  was  to  be 
enlightened  later. 

It  was  quite  dark  by  the  time  we  reached 
Sandown,  and  our  horse  was  more  than  a  little 
blown.  However  he  was  destined  to  enjoy  a  rest, 
for  our  enquiries  took  up  some  time.  At  length 
we  found  a  coastguardsman  who  told  us  what  we 
wanted  and  Alston  threw  up  the  sponge.  That 
is,  he  acknowledged  his  defeat  in  the  first  round. 
The  black-hulled  schooner  had  been  off  shore  most 
of  the  afternoon,  and  our  informant  had  descried 
her  setting  sail  an  hour  since.  "She's  heading 
down  channel, "  he  concluded. 

Alston  was  quite  quiet.  He  made  no  comment 
on  the  information,  but  thanked  the  man  and 
turned  about. 


78  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"That's  first  blood  to  Wilson,"  said  he  cheer- 
fully. "  Now  if  you'll  act  bottle-holder,  my  dear 
Sir,  you'll  witness  a  pretty  bout.  I've  not  had  a 
spar  for  some  time  and  I'll  take  off  my  coat  to 
this. "  He  whistled  a  stave  of  a  popular  tune,  but 
his  brow  was  contracted  in  thought.  We  walked 
up  towards  the  hotel  where  we  had  left  the 
carriage,  and  as  we  entered  the  yard  a  boy 
emerged  from  the  darkness  and  accosted  us. 

"Name  o'  Alston?"  he  inquired  in  an  official 
voice. 

"That's  so,"  said  my  companion,  scrutinising 
him. 

Without  a  word  the  boy  put  a  letter  in  his  hands 
and  walked  away.  A  light  from  the  yard  lamp 
fell  on  it. 

"Rudgwick,  Great  Scott!"  ejaculated  Alston, 
and  broke  the  seal. 

I  did  not  wait;  the  boy  was  slipping  into  the 
night;  and  I  followed  him.  He  turned  into  the 
dark  street  and  went  along  at  a  good  pace,  clearly 
reckless  of  pursuit.  The  urchin  was  innocent 
enough  of  his  mission,  but  he  had  been  used  as  an 
unconscious  pawn  on  one  side,  and  he  might  be 
useful  in  the  same  way  on  the  other.  I  kept  him 
in  sight  down  the  street  to  the  door  of  the  big 
hotel.  He  wore  no  postal  badge  or  dress,  and 
hence  he  must  be  a  private  messenger.  I  entered 
the  hotel  after  him,  and  he  passed  along  the 


THE  PRIVATEERS  79 

corridors  into  the  billiard  room.  In  the  door  was 
a  little  glass  plate  inserted  so  as  to  give  a  view  of 
the  nearest  table  from  without,  and  so  avoid  the 
risk  of  spoiling  a  stroke  by  rough  or  hasty  entrance 
I  glanced  through  it,  and  saw  the  boy  cross  the 
room  to  a  divan  on  which  some  men  were  seated. 
One  of  them  was  the  man  with  tumbled  iron-grey 
hair  I  had  seen  first  on  the  yacht,  and  then  in  the 
carriage  by  Bessenton.  I  wanted  to  see  no  more 
for  the  present.  Indeed  I  was  curious  to  learn 
what  communication  Rudgwick  had  made,  but  I 
had  to  discover  one  thing  ere  I  left. 

I  stopped  at  the  inquiry  office,  and  put  some 
questions.  I  found  that  there  was  no  chance  of 
getting  to  London  that  night,  and  secondly  I  got 
the  hour  of  the  departure  of  the  earliest  train  and 
boat  from  Ryde.  I  was  on  the  point  of  leaving 
when  an  idea  struck  me,  and  I  paused. 

"By  the  way  could  you  tell  me  if  an  American 
gentleman  named  Mr.  Wilson  Rudgwick  is  staying 
here?" 

The  clerk  considered,  and  shook  his  head.  "  No 
Sir — no  one  of  that  name. " 

"Are  you  sure?"  I  asked.  "I  understood  for 
certain  he  was  to  be  here.  It's  most  disappointing. 
Are  you  quite  certain  ?  An  American  gentleman  ?' ' 

The  clerk  turned  over  the  leaves  of  his  book. 
"There's  only  one  American  gentleman  here,"  he 
said.  "Mr.  Nathaniel  Butterfield."  I  shook  my 


8o  THE  PRIVATEERS 

head.  "  Arrived  to-day, "  he  added.  I  shook  my 
head  again,  thanked  him,  and  went  out.  I 
thought  I  had  found  my  sallow  friend's  name. 

Alston  was  awaiting  me  when  I  reached  the 
stables,  but  he  did  not  offer  to  show  me  the  letter. 
He  was  showing  a  little  more  irritation  than  he 
confessed  to,  and  his  previous  attitude  would  have 
advertised.  In  fact  I  inferred  that  he  was 
suppressing  a  good  deal  of  his  feelings  by  an  effort. 

"I  got  Wilson's  back  kick,"  he  remarked  in  a 
tone  that  struggled  gallantly  to  be  philosophical. 
"  He  sends  his  compliments.  Well  the  laugh's  on 
me  now.  Let  him  enjoy  the  performance.  I 
don't  mind.  This  comedy's  going  to  run  a 
considerable  time,  and  the  first  act's  not  the  most 
important.  I  guess  the  racket  comes  in  the  third, 
don't  it?" 

It  was  a  way  of  talking,  but  I  could  not  help 
reflecting  that  his  mind  seemed  to  be  more 
concerned  with  the  defeat  of  Rudgwick  than  with 
the  loss  of  his  lady-love. 

"  Does  he  confess  to  his  outrage? "  I  asked. 

"  Well,  he  says  Q.  E.  F.  and  that's  the  same 
thing.  He  quotes  a  bit  of  poetry.  It's  the  only 
piece  Wilson  ever  knew  or  heard  of.  I  reckon 
he'll  have  to  learn  the  'Elegy  in  a  Country  Church- 
yard '  when  I've  done  with  him. " 

He  laughed  as  he  mounted  into  the  carriage, 
but  I  was  silent.  Somehow  I  did  not  tell  him  of 


THE  PRIVATEERS  81 

my  discovery,  and  I  spoke  very  little  all  the  way 
back  to  the  manorhouse;  while  Alston  on  the 
contrary  talked  a  good  deal,  and  talked,  I  could 
not  help  thinking,  with  a  touch  of  swagger.  But 
swagger  is  justified  always  by  the  qualities  behind 
it,  and  Alston  impressed  me  with  a  sense  of  his 
personality. 

It  was  arranged  that  I  should  stay  the  night  at 
the  manorhouse,  for  I  was  now  fully  committed  to 
the  quest;  and  though  I  said  nothing  of  it  I  was 
the  less  disinclined  to  join  Alston  through  feeling 
that  inadvertently  I  had  provided  Rudgwick  with 
the  information  which  enabled  him  to  carry  out 
his  plot.  I  was  in  that  sense  an  unconscious 
party  to  the  abduction;  since  it  was  arranged  to 
happen  during  Alston's  absence.  Moreover,  I 
had  communicated  the  news  of  the  impending 
marriage  which  had  probably  stirred  him  to 
sudden  action.  It  was  preposterous  that  a  bride 
should  thus  be  held  to  ransom,  as  it  were,  but 
there  was  no  other  interpretation  of  the  seizure 
possible.  Alston  was  anxious  that  I  should  help 
him,  as  I  could  see  from  his  return  from  the  stark 
nakedness  of  primitive  passions  and  his  visions  of 
revenge  to  his  affable  and  polished  manner.  And 
he  was  sensibly  affected  when  I  consented. 

"  I'll  see  you  through  if  I  can, "  I  said.  "  But 
of  course  if  you  get  the  police  on — " 

"No;  that  doesn't  go,"  said  he  thoughtfully. 


82  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  Rudgwick's  cleared  out  somewhere,  and  he  and 
I'll  settle  this  deal  ourselves.  We  don't  want  to 
advertise  our  quarrel,  nor  for  the  matter  of  that 
bring  Miss  Lo veil's  name  into  it.  Not  but  what, " 
he  added  with  a  smile,  "  it  would  be  a  clean  scoop 
for  a  newspaper.  Our  reporters  out  there  would 
give  their  heads  for  five  columns  of  this  stuff.  It 
would  make  a  fine  story,  eh  ? " 

"  Then, "  said  I,  "  what  do  you  propose? " 

" I  want  a  boat,"  said  he  quickly,  "and  I  want 
a  crew,  and  that's  why  I  want  you,  lieutenant." 
I  reflected.  "There's  plenty  of  money,"  he 
added  significantly. 

I  nodded.  "That  was  not  in  my  mind.  It 
seems  to  me  you're  asking  for  a  pursuit.  You 
want  the  Mermaid  followed  and  brought  up?" 

"I  do,"  said  he,  helping  himself  to  a  finger  of 
whiskey;  for  this  conversation  took  place  in  the 
manorhouse,  after  Mrs.  Lovell  had  retired,  grief- 
stricken  and  bewildered  to  her  room. 

"Then  what  do  you  expect?"  I  inquired. 
"Mind  you,  I'm  prepared  to  go  with  you,  but  I 
want  the  ground  cleared  now. " 

"You're  right,  Mr.  Kerslake,"  said  he.  "I 
should  prefer  it  cleared,  and  I'm  going  to  clear  it. 
I  want  a  boat  and  crew  for  emergencies  that  may 
arise — any  emergencies,  see? " 

I  thought  I  saw,  and  I  thought  I  knew  my  crew 
and  my  boat. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  83 

"  You'll  fight  to  a  finish  ? "  I  asked,  "  rather  than 
call  in  authorities  ? " 

"Who  in  the  devil  can  I  call  in?  Where  is 
Rudgwick?"  he  demanded.  "As  far  as  I  know 
there's  no  sea-police.  Let's  suppose  Wilson  has 
a  fancy  for  Java  or  the  Canaries.  Who's  to  stop 
him?  Why  me,  and  me  only.  I  can't  ask  His 
Britannic  Majesty's  cruiser  to  start  out,  can  I?" 

"  There  are  processes — "  I  began. 

"Now,  see  here,  Kerslake,"  he  interrupted. 
"  I  want  to  work  this  off  on  my  own,  partly  for 
reasons  I've  given  you,  and  partly  because  I 
believe  I  can  manage  it  with  greater  facility — and 
celerity.  I'm  not  afraid  of  being  beat  if  you'll 
fulfil  your  part  of  the  bargain. " 

"Very  well,"  said  I.  "I  understand.  You 
shall  have  ship  and  crew  by  to-morrow  evening. " 

"Good  man!"  said  he  pleasantly,  "and  now 
have  another  whiskey. " 

I  refused,  but  accepted  a  cigar,  and  he  took  one 
himself.  There  were  no  matches  in  the  room,  and 
after  a  futile  hunt  for  a  box  in  his  pockets  he 
produced  from  them  a  slip  of  paper  and  twisted 
it  into  a  spill.  This  he  lit  at  the  lamp  and  so  got 
a  light  for  my  cigar  and  his,  subsequently  knocking 
out  the  flame  on  his  boot. 

"  By  the  way, "  said  I  at  that  moment,  "  do  you 
know  anyone  called  Nathaniel  Butterfield? " 

I  asked  on  the  impulse,  though  I  had  not  told 


84  THE  PRIVATEERS 

him  my  story,  of  the  messenger  boy,  and  he 
looked  up  at  me  suddenly  with  interrogating  eyes. 

"Why  so?  "he  asked. 

"Because  I  think  he's  a  man  employed  by 
Rudgwick, "  I  answered. 

"You're  right,"  he  replied.  "He's  Wilson's 
confidential  man;  he's  Wilson's  secretary.  He 
knows  more  about  Wilson  than  any  other  score  of 
men  put  together. " 

That  was  satisfactory ;  for  if  I  had  my  hands  on 
Butterfield,  perhaps  I  should  be  able  to  put  my 
hands  on  Rudgwick  also.  I  smiled  to  myself,  but  I 
said  nothing.  It  was  my  secret,  to  be  revealed  in  the 
fullness  of  time,  and  I  would  keep  it  as  a  surprise. 

In  that  June  season  the  night  was  shrunk  to  its 
smallest  dimensions,  so  as  to  have  become  but  a 
transitory  patch  of  darkness  occluded  between 
twilight  and  dawn.  The  punctual  sun  called  me 
through  the  open  window  from  which  the  curtains 
had  lapsed,  and  I  rose  in  the  dews  of  the  morning 
and  looked  forth  across  the  lawn.  The  house  was 
silent  about  me,  but  the  garden  was  in  full  song, 
and  magical  with  music.  Ever  so  many  voices 
mingled  in  that  choir.  I  heard  under  all  the  low 
cadences  of  the  blackbird,  and  through  them  the 
song-thrush  facile  and  melodious,  the  jocund  flow 
of  the  wren,  the  chaffinch  at  his  matins  and  the 
delicate  lute  of  the  willow-warbler.  The  sym- 
phony echoed  from  the  walls  of  my  room  em- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  85 

phasising  thus  the  deathly  stillness  of  the  house. 
At  the  foot  of  the  lawn  the  garden-plots  began,  and 
beyond  the  sun  twinkled  like  gold  on  the  young 
green  of  early  summer.  It  was  a  morning  to 
breathe  romance  into  one ;  and  of  a  sudden  I  took 
fire  out  of  the  freshness  and  the  glory  of  it. 
Within  my  heart  was  a  swift  insurgence  of  feeling, 
and  I  thrilled  with  the  commotion  of  it  from  head 
to  foot.  I  knew  now.  My  eyes  were  opened 
precipitately.  It  had  come  upon  me  in  a  tide  as  I 
stood  at  the  window.  It  was  not  idle  curiosity 
that  had  kept  me  in  the  Island  and  about  those 
scenes,  when  I  should  have  been  in  London;  nor 
was  it  mere  human  compassion  for  someone  who 
had  seemed  unhappy.  No;  the  solution  was 
simpler  than  either  of  these  explanations.  Sylvia 
Lovell  herself  explained  it.  I  loved  her. 

As  I  stood  there  I  could  in  my  mind's  eye  see  her 
upon  the  lawn  dabbled  with  those  early  dews, 
sweet  as  roses  and  bright  with  beauty.  She  had 
a  natural  gaiety,  revealed  in  the  open  generosity  of 
her  fine  eyes,  but  that  had  suffered  eclipse  during 
the  strange  operations  of  the  last  few  days.  But 
I  had  a  picture  of  her  blossoming  under  the 
warmth  of  happiness  into  that  lovely  smiling 
flower  she  represented  to  me.  But  the  rub  was 
there.  She  had  been  wantonly  abducted  as  a 
pawn  in  the  game  two  speculators  were  playing. 
It  was  monstrous;  it  was  unutterable;  and  my 


86  THE  PRIVATEERS 

heart  flooded  with  fury.  She  did  not  love  this 
man,  but  he  was  evidently  genuinely  attached  to 
her.  Why  else  should  he  have  engaged  himself  to 
a  penniless  girl  ?  It  was  her  wonderful  beauty  to 
which  the  cool  business-like  American  had  fallen 
a  victim.  But  she  was  not  for  him.  She  did  not 
love  him.  She  was  a  child  in  spirit  and  all  but 
years,  and  it  was  I  that  should  teach  her  what 
life  meant.  That  exquisite  bud  should  open  to  me 
and  for  me.  I  descended  into  the  dark  house  and 
opened  the  French  windows  that  gave  on  the 
lawn.  The  light  streamed  into  the  room,  daz- 
zlingly.  I  walked  forth.  How  oddly  composed 
was  this  man  Alston,  that  he  could  contain  him- 
self so  wonderfully  in  the  midst  of  his  bereavement. 
But  then  he  knew  his  enemy.  And  yet  it  was  not 
so  that  I  could  have  loved  and  shown  my  love.  I 
would  not  have  sat  and  smoked  my  cigar  with  the 
knowledge  that  my  love  was  prisoner  going  out 
with  the  tide  for  an  unknown  destination.  As  I 
thought  on  it  now,  I  grew  infuriate. 

I  could  conceive  her  now  newly  risen  crossing 
the  lawn  to  meet  me,  who  had  watched  under  her 
windows  and  called  her  forth  with  my  voice.  She 
advanced  smiling,  that  flower  of  youth,  that 
opening  bud.  The  glory  of  the  morning  sang  in 
my  ears  with  the  voices  of  the  birds.  Morning 
Glory!  Sylvia  was  my  morning  glory.  She 
would  abide  with  me. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  87 

At  the  bottom  of  the  lawn  a  pretty  little  pergola 
was  covered  with  clusters  of  noisette  roses,  and 
honeysuckle,  and  I  plucked  a  nosegay.  Had  it 
not  been  tended  by  Sylvia's  hands  ?  I  set  it  in  my 
buttonhole,  and  as  I  did  so  my  eye  was  caught  by 
something.  It  was  but  a  trifle,  but  I  think  I  was 
inordinately  excited,  and  so  supremely  alive  to 
ideas  and  impressions.  My  brain  worked  like  an 
engine  running  free,  and  my  heart  beat  in  a 
tumult.  At  the  foot  of  the  pillars  of  the  pergola 
were  thin  and  climbing  tendrils.  They  had  put  up 
from  the  earth  a  few  inches,  almost  as  if  they  had 
grown  overnight,  or  sprung  up  in  that  dewy  dawn. 
They  were  the  first  shoots  of  the  convolvulus- 
woodbine,  they  call  it;  but  to  me  it  is  always 
Morning  Glory.  There  was  to  my  mind  something 
prophetic,  something  encouraging  in  that  co- 
incidence. The  Morning  Glory  had  grown  in  the 
night.  It  reminded  me  of  those  wonderful  fairy 
tales  in  which  the  blood  or  body  of  the  unhappy 
princess  springs  in  an  hour  into  flower,  and  thus 
keeps  watch  and  ward.  My  princess  was  not 
dead,  but  she  was  gone,  and  here  was  her  flower 
just  dawned.  When  the  bloom  of  the  Morning 
Glory  opened  that  flower  of  mine  would  open  to 
me.  I  vowed  on  the  lawn  and  amid  the  love- 
songs  of  the  birds  that  she  should. 

When  I  reached  the  house  silence  still  held  it, 
and  I  looked  round  the  room,  which  displayed  all 


88  THE  PRIVATEERS 

the  signs  of  discomfort  characteristic  of  an 
unswept  chamber  in  the  morning.  It  was  dis- 
covered by  the  sun  in  its  undress,  and  seemed  to 
wince  and  be  ashamed.  In  the  fire-place  were  the 
ashes  of  cigars,  and  the  half  burned  matches.  A 
twisted  piece  of  paper  caught  my  attention,  and, 
almost  with  an  instinct  for  tidiness,  I  stooped  and 
picked  it  up.  I  was  full  of  my  thoughts  that  went 
straying  far  into  the  future  as  I  did  so,  and  I  was 
not  aware  that  I  was  smoothing  out  the  spill. 
When  I  discovered  the  fact  I  realised  that  it  was 
the  message  from  Rudgwick  which  Alston  had 
thrown  charred  into  the  grate.  It  was  only  brief, 
and  half  was  consumed,  but  my  eye  gathered  an 
impression  of  it  instantaneously.  The  hand  was 
big  and  sprawling.  The  fragment  ran — 

Reckon  I  caught  you  napping,  Fordyce 

haven't  broke  the  ring.    We  staked  it  out 

observe the  pegs  same  as  me 

//  you  can  get  home  on  me  Pm  not  complaining .... 

Well,  it  was  no  longer  Alston  he  had  to  face, 
this  confident  millionaire ;  he  had  to  deal  with  me, 
and  if  Alston  did  not  "get  home,"  I  was  in  that 
hour  of  exultation  confident  that  Willoughby 
Kerslake  would.  And  as  for  his  ring  that  had 
nothing  to  do  with  me ;  for,  thank  Heaven,  I  was 
neither  a  pork-packer  nor  a  speculator  in  Montana 
mines. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  CHASE 

I  LEFT  the  manorhouse  before  Alston  was  up, 
and  was  amazed  that  he  took  his  sleep  so  securely. 
His  nature  was  as  yet  beyond  my  comprehension ; 
it  comprised  so  many  incongruous  elements.  I 
gave  the  frightened  and  inquisitive  maid  a  note 
for  him,  to  the  effect  that  I  had  gone  to  engage 
a  yacht  and  a  crew;  but  really  I  had  other  fish 
to  fry.  I  made  at  once  for  Sandown,  reaching 
that  town  by  breakfast  time,  and  I  chose  an 
hotel  for  my  meal  other  than  that  which  har- 
boured Mr.  Nathaniel  Butterfield.  I  need  not 
say  that  I  was  not  long  delayed  by  my  appetite, 
and  immediately  went  to  the  station,  taking  up 
in  the  waiting-room  a  position  of  vantage.  If 
Butterfield  was  to  rejoin  his  chief,  I  was  assured 
it  would  be  through  some  other  port  of  departure 
than  Sandown.  It  was  unlikely  that  he  would 
use  a  yacht  to  follow  up  the  Mermaid;  and  the 
chances  were  all  in  favour  of  his  meeting  the 
party  at  some  point  of  call.  Hence  I  waited,  if 
with  some  misgivings,  in  my  lair. 

My  assumption  was  justified  by  events,  for  it 
needed  but  five  minutes  to  the  departure  of  the 

89 


90  THE  PRIVATEERS 

train  when  I  recognised  the  man  walking  briskly 
up  the  platform.  He  carried  a  small  handbag, 
and  whistled  as  he  went,  seemingly  well  pleased 
with  himself.  I  watched  him  into  a  first  class 
carriage,  and  then  myself  got  into  the  next  com- 
partment, so  as  to  keep  him  well  under  my  nose. 
At  Ryde  he  embarked  on  the  boat  with  the  same 
airy  indifference  and,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  never 
had  a  suspicion  that  he  was  followed.  He  read  a 
paper  with  absorption  in  the  carriage  of  the 
London  train  until  it  started,  and  again  I  managed 
to  enter  by  the  next  door  without  being  perceived, 
after  I  had  sent  an  urgent  telegram  to  a  marine 
dealer  of  my  acquaintance  at  Southsea.  Present- 
ly we  were  aboard  together  en  route  for  London. 
At  Waterloo  station  I  ducked  successfully  into 
the  crowd  on  the  platform  and  thus  evaded 
notice,  keeping  all  the  while  my  quarry  within 
eyeshot.  There  was  no  reason  in  the  world  why 
he  should  suppose  he  was  followed,  and  conse- 
quently his  movements  were  overt  and  unsus- 
picious, and  I  went  in  his  wake  to  a  restaurant 
in  the  Strand,  where  I  established  myself  at  a 
table  not  very  far  away.  I  had  a  view  of  his 
face  in  profile  as  he  ate  and  read  a  newspaper, 
and  now  I  examined  it  with  some  care.  It  was 
heavy-browed,  thickly  lined  and  pallid,  and  it  was 
almost  out  of  drawing  about  a  knob  of  a  nose. 
His  shock  of  greying  hair  came  across  his  fore- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  91 

head,  and  his  small  eyes  peeped  sharply  from 
under  eyebrows  that  hardly  existed.  He  had  the 
air  of  a  man  ready  and  expectant,  and  darted 
glances  swiftly  at  people  who  came  and  went. 
Apparently  he  decided  instantaneously  concerning 
them,  for  his  eyes  invariably  came  back  to  his 
paper.  But  it  gave  me  the  impression  of  a 
certain  inquisitive  and  alert  habit  of  mind.  His 
actions  too  were  alert  and  almost  unexpected; 
for  suddenly  he  called  the  waiter,  paid  his  bill 
and  rose,  as  if  he  had  remembered  an  appoint- 
ment. He  came  sharply  down  between  the 
tables,  and  his  eye  encountered  mine. 

There  was  recognition  in  his  face,  and  I  took 
my  decision  at  once.  I  stared  hard,  rose,  and 
advanced  a  step.  He  came  to  a  pause. 

"I  think" — I  began  tentatively  fluttering  and 
civil.  "  Don't  I  know  your  face?  I'm  sure " 

He  grinned.  "I  saw  you  aboard  a  yacht  the 
other  day,"  said  he.  "But  I  guess  you  don't 
know  me.  It  was  Mr.  Wilson  Rudgwick's  boat." 

He  knew  nothing  then,  he  suspected  nothing. 
My  ruse  of  half-remembering  him  would  have 
laid  any  doubts  if  he  had  had  them. 

"I'm  sorry,"  said  I  apologising.  "But  your 
face  seemed  somehow  familiar.  I  suppose  it 
isn't  a  face  one  forgets.  How  is  Mr.  Rudgwick? " 

He  sat  down  in  an  empty  chair,  and  now  I 
saw  that  his  eyes  were  pleasant  in  their  smile. 


92  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"He's  just  all  right,"  he  answered.  "I  reckon 
he's  going  to  enjoy  himself  over  here." 

"We're  rapidly  becoming  your  playground," 
I  said. 

"Well,  this  London's  grand,  real  grand,  though 
it's  a  bit  behind  the  times.  Those  omnibuses 
now,  running  outside, — I  like  'em,  but  then  I 
don't  do  business  here.  I  guess  they  stand  for 
London  all  through.  I  like  London — for  pleas- 
ure." 

"Making  a  long  stay?"  I  queried. 

He  looked  down  his  nose,  "Leaving  to-day — 
returning  to-morrow,  so  to  speak.  I'll  hang  on 
to  London  when  I  can,  while  I  can." 

"I  hope  you'll  enjoy  yourself,"  said  I.  He 
was  evidently  not  communicative,  and  my  tone 
marked  the  end  of  civil  exchanges.  He  got  up, 
and  with  a  somewhat  formal  but  rapid  salutation 
left  me.  Now  that  he  had  recognised  me  it  was 
impossible  that  I  should  allow  him  to  do  so  again. 
I  hurriedly  paid  my  bill  and  hastened  into  the 
street.  My  man  was  getting  into  a  cab,  and  I 
called  another. 

"Follow  that  cab,"  I  said,  "and  find  out 
where  that  gentleman  goes.  If  you  bring  me 
precise  and  exact  information  it's  a  guinea  for 
you.  I'll  be  here." 

He  whipped  up  and  drove  off  into  the  whirl- 
pool of  the  Strand  almost  ere  I  had  done  speaking, 


THE  PRIVATEERS  93 

and  I  returned  into  the  restaurant  and  sat  down 
near  the  door,  keeping  an  eye  on  the  brilliant 
street.  The  cabman  pulled  up  before  the  door 
a  little  over  an  hour  later,  and  we  were  soon  in 
colloquy.  He  was  a  businesslike  fellow. 

"Followed  the  gent,  Sir,  to  a  barber's  shop, 
where  he  keeps  his  cab  waiting.  Then  he  was 
off  to  a  perfumer's  where  he  stopped  a  bit. 
Then  he  drove  off  to  Waterloo  and  landed." 

"And  then  you  lost  him?"  said  I. 

"  Beggin'  your  pardon,  no,  Sir,"  said  the  driver 
with  triumph.  "  I  just  put  the  cab  on  the  rank 
in  the  'ands  of  a  friend  o'  mine,  and  run  in  after 
'im.  I  follered  'im  to  the  bookin'  office — second 
platform,  and  run  agen'  'im,  so  to  speak.  He 
took  a  ticket  for  Marlow. " 

"Marlow!"  I  echoed.  Marlow!  What  did 
my  American  friend  want  on  the  river?  Besides 
Marlow  was  reached  from  Paddington  not  Water- 
loo? Was  it — stay,  Marlow!  surely — I  had  a 
flash  of  inspiration.  St.  Malo! 

Southampton  was  the  point  of  departure  for 
the  little  French  port. 

I  gave  the  cabman  his  guinea,  and  jumped  into 
his  cab.  "Waterloo,"  said  I. 

I  caught  the  next  train  back  to  Portsmouth, 
interviewed  my  marine  dealer,  and  before  I  had 
reached  Bessenton  Manor  that  evening  I  had 
engaged  boat  and  men  to  man  her. 


94  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Alston  met  me  with  some  impatience  in  his 
manner,  as  if  he  were  of  the  opinion  that  I  had 
been  unduly  dawdling,  but  he  was  vastly  too 
polite  a  man  to  break  out  in  speech. 

"Say,  Mr.  Kerslake,"  was  his  remark.  "When 
do  you  reckon  we  can  be  getting?" 

I  pulled  out  my  watch  and  glanced  at 
it.  "The  boat  I  have  engaged  and  commis- 
sioned will  be  off  Bembridge  at  nine  o'clock 
to-night.  I  was  going  to  suggest  that  we  should 
drive  there  at  once.  We  shall  meet  her  coming 
in." 

"Bully!"  said  he,  "you're  a  smart  man," 
and  turned  at  once  to  give  his  instructions. 

He  took  command  of  the  hopeless  house  nat- 
urally and  without  bustle.  Mrs.  Lovell  under 
the  pressure  of  his  quiet  influence  regained  com- 
posure and  almost  confidence.  She  leaned  on 
him  again  as  she  had  grown  to  do  in  the  past 
fortnight.  But  I  do  not  think  either  of  us  paid 
her  much  attention  beyond  ceremonious  polite- 
ness. Our  object  was  to  get  off,  and  I  breathed 
more  freely  when  this  was  accomplished;  and  as 
we  bowled  along  by  the  shoulder  of  the  downs, 
on  which  I  had  first  seen  Sylvia  Lovell,  Alston 
surprised  me  by  emerging  from  the  authoritative 
air  which  had  surrounded  him  so  far,  and  saying 
to  me  mildly, 

"And  now,  Kerslake,  I've  got  time  to  listen. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  95 

What's  your  news?  You  know  something.  Get 
ahead." 

"How  do  you  guess  that?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  well,"  says  he,  lighting  a  cigar.  "I've 
played  poker,  and  I'm  a  speculator.  I'm  nothing 
if  not  a  gambler,  and  it's  my  business  to  read 
faces.  If  I  can't  get  hold  of  the  ledger  I  try  my 
hand  with  the  blotting-paper." 

"You're  right,"  said  I.  "Rudgwick's  in 
France,  and  we're  trimming  our  sails  for  St.  Malo." 

"Huh!"  said  he,  and  was  silent  a  minute;  and 
then,  "Perhaps  you'll  be  good  enough  to  empty 
the  basket." 

And  then  I  told  him  of  Butterfield,  and  of  my 
recognition  at  Sandown,  and  of  my  pursuit  in 
London.  He  squeezed  my  arm  in  a  large  and 
friendly  grasp. 

"They  told  me  the  British  Navy  was  the 
smartest  institution  over  here,"  said  he,  "and 
by  the  Day  of  Judgment  I  begin  to  believe  it. 
That  was  pretty  cute  of  you,  and  you  can  hold 
your  tongue." 

I  felt  he  was  inspecting  me  thoughtfully  in  the 
twilight. 

"  Now  the  first  time  I  got  a  real  notion  of  you, " 
he  went  on,  "was  when  you  tripped  up  that  man 
of  Rudgwick's.  I  fastened  on  to  you  then  as  a 
good  man.  It  was  neat  and  smart  and  imagi- 
native. There  are  no  flies  on  you,  Mr.  Kerslake. " 


96  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I  told  him  I  felt  complimented,  but  I  had  not 
given  him  all  my  news,  nor  did  I  intend  to  do 
so  just  then. 

The  boat  was  lying  in  the  roads  when  we  got 
to  Bembridge,  and  we  went  aboard  without  delay. 
She  was  yawl-rigged,  and  of  fifty  tons  burden, 
and  carried  a  crew  of  six  hands,  excluding  her 
master,  McCulloch.  I  had  him  on  the  best  recom- 
mendation, as  a  thorough  sailor,  which  he  gave 
evidence  of  being  from  the  outset.  He  had 
reached  Bembridge  inside  his  time,  and  the  boat 
was  as  clean  and  smart  as  a  man  o'  war.  She 
had  too  a  capable  air,  which  McCulloch  bore  out 
from  his  account  of  her. 

"She  slipped  across,"  he  said.  "She'll  go 
down  the  Channel  with  greased  heels  to-night." 

"Good,"  said  Alston.  "Excellent,  Mr.  Mc- 
Culloch. And  if  you're  agreeable  we'll  go  right 
away." 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right,"  said  the  skipper  bluffly. 
"We're  fit  for  a  fortnight's  cruise,  if  you  want 
it;"  and  then  when  Alston  was  gone  he  turned 
to  me.  "I  want  to  know  where  I  stand,  Mr. 
Kerslake.  Am  I  to  take  orders  from  this  gentle- 
man, same  as  from  you?" 

A  bluff  blond-bearded  man  of  five  and  thirty 
he  confronted  me  with  eyes  in  which  nothing  but 
cold  constancy  was  legible. 

"Oh  yes,   said  I.     We're  partners." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  97 

1  "That's  all  right,"  he  declared,  and  dismissed 
the  subject  promptly  and  decisively. 

For  that  was  what  I  had  kept  from  Alston. 
I  was  not  joining  this  expedition  to  rescue  a  wife 
for  him,  as  he  should  know  all  in  good  time, 
though  it  would  be  a  fair  field  and  no  favour 
between  us.  And  so  the  yawl  was  not  his  affair, 
but  mine,  though  I  was  content  that  he  should 
unite  forces  with  me  in  our  first  and  common 
object — to  save  Sylvia  Lovell  from  this  mon- 
strous trans-Atlantic  abduction. 

And  when  we  had  set  sail,  Alston  returned  on 
deck  to  find  me  communing  with  myself  on  this 
point.  A  short,  blue-eyed  sailor  had  the  wheel 
and  on  the  topsail  behind  him  was  a  lifebuoy, 
with  the  name  of  the  yawl — "  Esperance. " 

The  colour  was  new  and  Alston's  eyes  fastened 
on  it. 

"Say,  we've  a  scunner  of  a  name  here, 
Kerslake, "  he  said.  "We  got  to  live  up  to 
this." 

"Yes, "  I  assented.  Had  I  dared  I  would  have 
styled  her  Sylvia,  but  no,  there  was  in  her  present 
name  some  special  and  private  meaning  for  me 
alone.  It  was  my  yacht,  and  she  carried  my 
secret  in  her  name. 

We  footed  it  down  the  Channel  very  easily, 
the  yawl  dancing  on  a  broken  sea,  with  a  little 
wind  from  the  south;  and  as  the  stars  came  out 


98  THE  PRIVATEERS 

in  a  clear  sky  a  sense  of  expectancy  and  romance 
grew  in  my  heart. 

"  Butterfield, "  said  Alston,  who  had  been 
silent  for  some  time,  "would  get  to  St.  Malo 
to-night." 

"He's  probably  there  now,"  said  I. 

"Where  does  that  bring  us  in?"  he  asked. 

"The  Lord  knows,"  I  answered  shortly. 
"We've  discovered  his  base — that's  all.  We'll 
give  him  a  run." 

He  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then  lit  a  cigar 
which  glowed  in  the  darkness.  "  This  is  an  inter- 
esting country  of  yours,"  said  he  with  what 
seemed  to  me  irrelevance.  "It's  full  of  contra- 
dictions. Now  over  with  us,  what  you  call  your 
gentlemen  are  the  only  folk  with  manners ;  while 
here  seems  to  me  all  the  gentlemen  are  the  only 
folk  without  'em." 

"Yes,  we've  rubbed  off  all  the  polish  by  this 
twentieth  century,"  I  replied  with  some  amuse- 
ment at  his  naivete  of  address.  "But  you  see 
frankness  has  its  advantages  over  ceremonious- 
ness.  " 

"Well,  yes."  He  did  not  see  my  counter,  or 
at  least  did  not  appear  to  see  it.  "I  reckon 
there's  a  time  for  bluntness,  and  bluntness  and 
sharpness  are  the  same  thing  oddly  enough." 

"We're  too  pressed  for  time  to  be  polite,"  I 
said. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  99 

"We're  generally  considered  to  be  more  in  a 
hurry  than  you,  yet  we  manage  it,"  he  retorted. 

I  laughed.  "I  yield,"  I  said.  "But  I  don't 
always  know  what  that  politeness  means,  and 
after  all  it  may  cover  something."  He  threw 
me  a  look.  "It  may  mask  a  battery." 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  agreed  amiably.  "That's  in 
the  game,  and  now,  Mr.  Kerslake,  its  time  we 
talked  business.  What  about  this  yawl?" 

"You  mean  the  terms?"  I  asked,  for  I  was 
expecting  this. 

"Yes.     I  suppose  the  sum  is  tidy?" 

"The  terms  are  fair,"  I  replied  after  a  pause, 
and  I  told  him  what  they  were. 

He  nodded.  "  I  don't  mind  that.  That's  all 
right.  Well,  if  you'll  tell  me  what  you're  out  of 
pocket  by  this  and  fixing  things  up,  I'll  draw 
you  a  cheque.  And  I'll  stand  handsomely  in- 
debted to  you  all  the  same." 

"  There  are  no  expenses, "  I  said.  "  Pay  at  the 
end.  We've  got  her  for  a  fortnight,  which  can 
be  extended,  and  we  pay  hands — that's  all  at 
present." 

"It's  not  my  notion  of  business,"  he  com- 
mented. "  But  if  your  people  are  content  to  do 
it  that  way,  why  I  won't  raise  any  objections, 
and  I'm  still  your  humble  servant,  Mr.  Ker- 
slake." 
.  "Oh,  I  like  sport,"  I  said  awkwardly,  "and 


ioo  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I've,  never  chased  a  slaver  before.  It's  putting 
back  the  clock." 

"Yes,  it  has  an  antique  look,"  he  agreed. 
"Anyway,  you  oblige  me  greatly,  and  if  we  can 
come  up  with  Rudgwick  I'll  be  up  to  my  neck 
in  gratitude." 

"Supposing,"  said  I,  "that  we  do  find  him, 
what  is  your  plan  of  campaign?"  That  was  a 
point  which  had  never  been  discussed  between 
us  in  the  bustle  of  our  departure.  But  of  course 
it  must  be  determined.  His  cigar  was  a  circle 
of  red  fire  before  me  in  the  night. 

"Well,"  he  said  with  unusual  deliberation, 
"I've  got  a  notion." 

"Legal  operations?"  I  inquired. 

Again  he  was  deliberate.  "I  don't  fancy  so. 
You  see,  it  would  take  time  to  move  the  machinery 
in  France,  and  maybe  Wilson  would  have  skipped. 
But  I've  a  notion  and  I'm  working  it  out." 

"  There's  only  the  one  alternative, "  I  remarked, 
"unless  Rudgwick  surrenders  at  discretion." 

"He  won't  do  that,"  said  Alston.  "Wilson 
won't  do  that.  He's  in  for  a  fight,  and  he  rather 
likes  a  fight.  He's  been  fighting  all  his  life,  and 
now  he's  on  top  he'll  keep  on  fighting  out  of  mere 
habit." 

"Then,"  said  I,    "this  looks  like  a  conflict." 

"You  may  put  it  at  that, "  replied  Alston  com- 
placently. "It's  a  real  campaign,  and  I  guess 


THE  PRIVATEERS  101 

there's  going  to  be  real  fighting.  But  I  haven't 
settled  the  details.  I've  a  notion,  and  that's  all." 

Was  he  speaking  metaphorically?  Or  did  he 
refer  to  actual  war?  I  did  not  know,  nor  did  I 
in  that  hour  of  exaltation  greatly  care.  I  was 
in  for  an  adventure  and  one  highly  seasoned  with 
romance.  And  so  the  Esperance  travelled  pleas- 
antly through  the  night  for  Cherbourg. 

We  reached  the  port  early  in  the  morning  and 
arrived  by  train  at  St.  Malo  some  hours  later 
and  at  once  set  inquiries  on  foot.  But  we  could 
hear  of  no  yacht  in  the  neighborhood,  and  so 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Butterfield  must 
have  designed  to  pick  up  the  Mermaid  at  another 
point.  It  was  just  possible,  but  not  likely,  that 
he  was  in  the  town  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
yacht,  but  that  would  reveal  confidence  in  his 
position  which  Rudgwick  would  not  be  justified 
in  assuming.  We  talked  the  situation  over. 

"Well,"  said  Alston  with  his  friendly  smile. 
"Lost  the  trail?  You  didn't  hear  enough  in 
London.  That  cabman  of  yours  should  have 
gone  down  with  Butterfield." 

This,  as  I  had  gathered,  was  his  inveterate 
habit,  to  throw  the  onus  amiably  on  another's 
shoulders,  mitigating  this  investment  with  respon- 
sibility by  his  smile.  I  did  not  refuse  the  respon- 
sibility. He  moved  too  largely  for  me,  and  I 
was  not  at  all  certain  I  knew  him.  I  was  there 


102  THE  PRIVATEERS 

merely  to  play  the  part  of  head-clerk  (unpaid) 
to  a  business  man. 

"  In  a  small  place  like  this  we  can  pick  up  the 
trail,"  I  said.  "He  does  not  know  he  is  being 
followed.  He  would  move  openly.  There's  the 
railway  station." 

He  nodded.     "We'll  try  it." 

Well,  we  had  no  difficulty  at  the  station;  in- 
deed our  course  had  been  barely  interrupted 
since  we  sailed.  When  I  looked  back  on  it  it 
seemed  to  me  astonishing  how  success  had  at- 
tended our  efforts,  ever  since  I  had  dropped  eyes 
on  Nathaniel  Butterfield  in  Sandown.  The  man 
with  greying  hair  and  a  knob  nose  was  identified 
without  difficulty  by  the  officials  of  the  railway. 
He  had  arrived  the  night  before  and  taken  a 
ticket  to  Tretang.  Monsieur  would  no  doubt 
find  his  friend  there. 

Yes,  Messieurs  would  make  the  attempt  at  all 
events.  We  had  left  the  yawl  in  McCulloch's 
hands  at  Cherbourg  to  await  orders,  and  now 
we  struck  inland.  At  Tretang  in  Morbihan  if 
we  did  not  find  Butterfield  we  hoped  to  hit  on 
his  trail  again  with  as  little  trouble  as  we  had  at 
the  port.  Alston  had  shipped  his  motor  cycle, 
which  was  a  tri-car  with  a  second  seat,  on  the 
yawl,  and  now  with  businesslike  prudence  en- 
trained it,  and  thus  we  reached  Tretang  in  the 
evening  of  a  bright  warm  day. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  103 

The  principal  inn  of  the  village  drew  us  at 
once,  for  if  Butterfield  had  arrived  late  at  night, 
as  seemed  probable,  he  would  have  taken  shelter 
under  that  friendly  roof.  Here  again  our  rea- 
soning was  instantaneously  justified.  A  man 
answering  to  nis  description  of  Butterfield  had 
lain  there  the  night  before  and  gone  on  in  the 
morning.  How  had  he  gone?  We  were  getting 
"warm,"  in  the  language  of  the  child's  game. 
Why,  Monsieur  had  taken  a  carriage,  Jean  Bretoi's 
carriage.  We  too  then  must  take  a  carriage. 
But  stay,  there  was  Alston's  tri-car.  Butterfield 
had  driven  along  the  Quiberon  road,  which  thus 
made  connection  with  the  open  sea.  We  began 
to  understand  now,  or  thought  we  did.  The 
Mermaid  was  or  would  be  off  the  Morbihan  coast, 
by  Belle  Isle  or  thereby,  and  there  was  to  await 
Rudgwick's  emissary.  The  tri-car  saved  us  from 
the  tedium  of  a  country  cart  and  we  were  pres- 
ently bound  for  the  coast  which  was  not  more 
than  twenty-five  miles  distant.  Our  way  lay 
through  open  and  broken  country  most  charac- 
teristic of  that  part  of  Brittany  and  for  some 
time  we  took  the  air  of  moorlands.  But  pres- 
ently we  passed  down  into  flatter  country,  grown 
with  pines  here  and  there  and  apparently  more 
cultivated  towards  the  seaboard.  By  this  time 
it  was  growing  dusk,  and  the  Atlantic  was 
murk  on  the  horizon,  and  when  we  entered  the 


104  THE  PRIVATEERS 

village  of  Tellezac  on  the  shore  the  day  was  done. 
Our  chase  was  necessarily  ended  for  that  night, 
yet  not  our  investigation.  The  inn  was  comfort- 
able and  old;  and  we  settled  down  to  a  supper 
very  appetising  after  our  efforts  all  through  that 
day  and  the  previous  night.  But  Alston,  now 
that  he  was  so  near  and  yet  so  far,  was  restless, 
which  he  showed  not  so  much  outwardly  as  by 
his  abrupt  change  of  topic.  He  visited  the  inn- 
keeper more  than  once  and  I  knew  had  been  in- 
terrogating him.  At  last  he  came  back  more 
satisfied. 

"It's  all  right.  I  believe  we're  on  the  scent, 
Kerslake.  A  man  who  looks  like  being  Butterfield 
passed  along  here  to-day,  but  he  don't  know 
where  he  went — to  Quiberon  or  south.  We've 
got  to  hunt  that  out.  Say,  I  think  I'll  go  and 
send  a  wire  through  to  McCulloch  to  bring  her 
along  this  way.  Seems  as  if  we've  found  our 
circus  at  last." 

Well,  we  had  found  it  more  certainly  than  we 
knew,  as  I  was  to  discover  there  and  then;  for 
he  was  not  gone  more  than  five  minutes  when 
Wilson  Rudgwick  walked  into  the  room. 

"Why,"  said  he  after  a  stare,  "It's  Lieutenant 
Kerslake  isn't  it?  This  is  riotous.  What  brings 
you  here,  and  what '11  you  take,  Sir?" 

The  appearance  of  the  kidnapper,  cool,  airy, 
<lark  of  visage  and  bluntly  hospitable,  took  me 


THE  PRIVATEERS  105 

aback.  Of  a  sudden  I  realised  the  proximity  of 
Sylvia  Lovell.  If  the  man  were  here,  she  could 
not  be  far  away;  and  I  throbbed  at  the  thought. 
But  I  had  myself  in  complete  control,  for  a  life 
of  discipline  has  that  advantage  at  least.  I  ex- 
pressed equal  surprise  to  see  him. 

"This  is  a  mighty  small  world,  isn't  it?"  he 
observed,  drinking  his  glass  of  wine  he  had  or- 
dered. "If  this  wasn't  an  all-fired  hot  day,  I 
couldn't  load  up  with  this  swill. "  He  made  a  sour 
face  at  the  bottle.  "  But  my  throat's  dusty  and 
sandy.  I've  been  coming  along  the  seaboard. 
My  yacht's  off  there  along.  What's  yours? 
Whiskey?" 

I  told  him,  glibly  lying,  that  I  was  on  a  brief 
tour  to  a  sister  who  had  a  house  at  Quimper. 

"Ah!"  said  he.  "Corkscrewing  round  to  it, 
eh.  Well,  it's  nice  weather  and  sun  for  it,  but 
I'm  for  sea  again.  It's  too  dry  on  land,  and  I'm 
dried  enough  in  Chicago." 

Now  while  he  was  speaking  I  was  on  pins  and 
needles  lest  Alston  should  return  and  blunder  in 
on  his  enemy.  I  felt  that  he  ought  to  be  warned, 
and  yet  I  did  not  know  how  this  was  to  be  ac- 
complished. 

Suddenly  an  idea  struck  me.  I  had  a  note- 
book in  my  pocket  and  I  took  it  out,  and  began 
to  scribble  in  it.  A  sharp  glance  from  Rudgwick 
told  me  that  the  imperturbable  American  had 


io6  THE  PRIVATEERS 

marked  my  action,  and  I  explained  amiably,  as 
I  yawned. 

"I  always  write  up  my  diary  before  going  to 
bed." 

"Ah!"  said  he.  "I  don't  keep  'em.  Ledgers 
and  daybooks  are  enough  for  me." 

"I  only  record  my  holidays,"  I  added.  "Yet 
a  diary  has  its  advantages." 

"I  take  it  you  don't  spread  yourself  in  the 
style  of  the  young  ladies,"  he  said  with  a  smile. 
"Confidences  and  raptures  and  speculations  don't 
go  with  the  twentieth  century." 

"No,"  I  laughed  back  at  him,  folded  my  note 
surreptitiously  and  rose.  I  wanted  to  warn 
Alston,  but  I  did  not  want  to  lose  sight  of  Rudg- 
wick.  I  rang  the  bell  and  the  innkeeper  ap- 
peared. 

"L' addition!"  said  I.  He  bowed  and  with- 
drew. "Not  staying  here?"  said  Rudgwick. 
"Rather  late  for  a  start,  isn't  it?" 

"  I'm  on  a  motor-cycle, "  I  explained,  "and  I'm 
bound  to  hurry  up  to  Quimper. " 

The  innkeeper  returned  with  my  bill,  which 
I  paid,  and  at  the  same  time  I  slipped  into  his 
hand  the  note  I  had  written,  which  was  inscribed 
"Pour  Monsieur  mon  ami." 

The  man's  bow,  I  felt,  included  his  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  message,  and  he  went  out.  Rudg- 
wick rose. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  107 

"I'll  follow  your  example,"  he  said,  "if  my 
yacht's  come  up  as  she  should.  I'll  just  have  a 
look." 

When  he  was  gone  I  made  my  preparations  to 
start,  but  I  did  not  intend  to  go  very  far.  Rudg- 
wick  re-entered. 

"There's  no  sign  of  her,"  he  remarked  evenly, 
"so  I  guess  I'm  fixed  here  to-night.  You're  not 
in  a  hurry,  Mr.  Kerslake?" 

I  hesitated.  Of  course  I  was  not  in  a  hurry, 
for  I  had  now  found  what  I  had  been  running 
down  for  the  last  four  and  twenty  hours.  But 
I  made  a  feint  of  doubt. 

"I  ought  to  start  shortly,"  I  said. 

"There's  a  moon,  ain't  there?"  he  inquired. 
"Come,  sit  down  again,  and  let  us  have  a  drink. 
I'd  like  your  advice  on  that  point.  I  don't  know 
much  about  France;  I  don't  travel  much.  But 
I  will  be  damned  if  I  drink  any  more  of  that 
wine. " 

"Cognac,"   I  suggested. 

"That  smiles  better,"  he  assented;  and  we 
ordered  cognac  with  our  coffee. 

It  was  an  hour  before  I  left  him,  and  I  must  do 
that  only  because  of  my  pre-engagement  with 
Alston.  I  knew  by  his  absence  that  he  had  re- 
ceived my  letter,  and  if  so  he  would  have  followed 
my  instructions.  And  so  I  got  up,  shook  hands 
with  my  companion  cordially,  and  departed. 


io8  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Rudgwick  here.  Meet  me  on  Quimper  road  at 
the  first  inn  or  two  miles,  whichever  nearest. 

That  had  been  my  communication,  and  as  I 
went  out  of  the  tavern  I  made  a  few  inquiries  of 
the  landlord.  There  was  an  inn  a  mile  and  a  half 
along  the  road,  a  wayside  auberge.  Alston  would 
be  waiting  there. 

I  got  into  the  tri-car,  and  started  off  at  a  fair 
pace.  It  was  now  quite  dark,  for  the  night  was 
moonless,  and  my  lamp  scattered  the  road  with 
thicker  shadows.  They  lay  in  ambush  on  both 
sides  and  all  around  me,  investing  that  single 
patch  of  bright  light  just  before  me,  and  by  con- 
trast all  the  blacker  for  it.  The  car  thumped 
and  beat  along,  and  the  lights  of  the  village  faded. 
My  thoughts  flew  forward  to  Alston.  What  plan 
had  he  in  his  head?  Now  that  we  had  our  hands 
on  the  enemy,  what  was  his  design?  I  wanted 
to  learn  it,  and  he  had  had  an  hour  or  more  to 
elaborate  it;  but  I  was  by  no  means  sure  that  it 
would  be  my  plan.  Rudgwick  was  at  the  inn, 
and  we  could  go  back  and  seize  him.  One  ab- 
duction justified  another,  indeed  was  the  proper 
ironic  rejoinder.  Rudgwick  sleeping  comfortably 
in  his  four-post  bed,  or  Rudgwick  at  his  farewell 
cigar,  or  Rudgwick  again,  newly  risen  and  com- 
placent in  the  breezy  dawn — there  was  our  quarry 
unsuspecting  and  ready  to  our  gun.  And,  Rudg- 
wick once  in  bondage,  we  had  the  whip  hand  of 


THE  PRIVATEERS  109 

the  party,  which  it  was  not  likely  contained  any- 
one willing  or  able  to  carry  out  his  scheme,  what- 
ever that  might  be.  In  loyalty  to  Alston  I  was 
on  my  way  to  a  conference  with  him,  but  I  had 
no  doubt  as  to  the  best  and  wisest  course.  And 
then  my  thoughts  reverted  to  Sylvia  Lovell,  and 
my  eyes  unconsciously  went  seawards,  where  the 
water  of  the  Bay  lay  wrapped  in  night.  I  could 
conceive  half  a  dozen  ways  now  by  which  she 
was  to  be  reclaimed,  for  my  brain  worked  quickly 
as  I  flew  through  the  soft  night  air.  I  was 
affected  unaccountably  more  than  I  had  antici- 
pated by  the  thought  of  seeing  her  again,  but 
Alston,  good-humoured,  large,  persuasive  and 
capable,  suddenly  loomed  in  the  background,  a 
shadow  on  the  sunshine.  When  Sylvia  was  safe 
there  was  Alston  to  face.  It  was  ridiculous  to 
suppose  that  she  would  necessarily  have  any 
preference  for  me  over  him,  but  all  that  I  wanted 
then  was  that  she  should  not  be  driven  by  cir- 
cumstances and  maternal  folly  or  selfishness  into 

this  marriage.     Afterwards 

Across  the  flashlight  of  the  acetylene  lamp 
leapt  a  shadow;  there  was  a  crack,  a  whirr  in 
my  head,  a  sense  of  falling;  and  I  knew  no  more. 


CHAPTER  VII 


I  HAD  a  vague  consciousness  of  voices  about  me, 
also  of  a  jogging  which  gave  me  pain,  but  I  re- 
mained for  long  under  the  envelope  of  stupor,  and 
when  I  did  fully  awake  to  life  all  was  new  to  me. 
I  was  in  a  room  sparsely  furnished,  with  big  cold 
walls  of  stone,  on  one  of  which,  as  I  stared  at  it 
weakly  in  the  candle  light,  was  a  faded  fresco  of 
very  ancient  date. 

But  my  eyes  soon  passed  to  the  human  inhabit- 
ant of  that  chamber,  who,  hearing,  I  imagine,  my 
stir,  came  out  of  the  gloom.  It  was  Nathaniel 
Butterfield. 

"  Guess  you're  better,"  said  he  with  a  grin ;  "  say, 
your  head's  pretty  thick,  eh?" 

"What  happened?"  I  asked  feebly. 

"  Pitched  off  your  cycle — a  collision,  or  run  into 
something,  I  suppose.  Anyways  there  you  were, 
kinked  up  like  a  broken  wheel,  and  a  scalp  wound 
as  large  as  life." 

"It  was  the  dark  road,"  I  murmured.  "I 
was  a  fool  to  go  so  hard." 

"That's  very  likely.  I'm  not  contradicting 
no 


THE  PRIVATEERS  in 

you,"  he  said  amicably.     "And  now  let's  have  a 
look  at  the  injury." 

His  hand  was  gentle  as  a  woman's,  and  he 
handled  me  as  dextrously  as  any  doctor  in  a  ward. 

"Lucky  you  struck  the  plain  road,"  he  said, 
"and  not  a  rock  or  a  branch.  You  came  off 
pretty  soft,  I  reckon.  We'll  fix  you  up  all  right." 

But  by  now  I  had  recovered  myself  sufficiently 
to  wonder  at  his  presence. 

"How  did  I  come  here?"  I  asked,  "and  where 
is  it?" 

He  dabbed  a  sponge  on  my  head  cheerfully. 
"Now,  you're  talking,"  he  said,  "and  I'll 
oblige  you  all  I  can.  We  found  you  in  the  road, 
and  fetched  you  here  in  a  cart;  and  as  for  here, 
it's  Wilson  Rudgwick's  chateau." 

"  Rudgwick's !"     I  cried. 

"That's  so, "  he  replied,  eyeing  me  almost  with 
benevolence;  but  ere  I  could  comment  on  the 
astonishing  explanation  the  door  creaked  and 
Rudgwick  himself  entered. 

He  was  smoking  as  usual,  and  the  fragrance  of 
the  cigar  was  sensible  in  the  room. 

"Come  round,  Butterfield?"  he  asked,  and  then 
to  me:  "Feel  yourself?"  Without  waiting  an 
answer  he  nodded  and  Butterfield  left  us.  "  So!" 
he  began  again, with  his  calm  eyes  on  me.  "You 
didn't  get  so  far  as  Quimper,  Lieutenant?" 
,  "As  you  see, ' '  I  replied  dryly. 


112  THE  PRIVATEERS 

He  stared  at  me.  "  I'm  glad  your  crown's  no 
worse, "  he  said.  "  I  feared  you  might  have  broken 
a  bone  or  something.  One  never  can  say.  But 
Butterfield's  smart." 

"  He's  a  very  admirable  nurse,  I  think, "  said  I. 
Rudgwick  smiled.  "  Oh  yes,  he  ain't  bad  at  that 
too.  He's  pretty  handy  all  the  way  round.  He's 
a  good  Jack  of  all  trades,  is  Nathaniel;  and  I 
brought  him  up  from  drummer  and  ought  to  know. 
But  you  know,  boy,"  he  shook  his  head  indulgent- 
ly. "You  ought  to  know  more  than  to  buck  up 
against  Wilson  Rudgwick." 

There  was  a  momentary  pause,  while  I  stared  at 
him.  "  I  don't  say  you  weren't  smart, "  he  re- 
sumed after  pulling  at  his  cigar.  "  You  are,  or  you 
wouldn't  be  here  now.  If  I  hadn't  had  a  notion 
of  you,  you  might  have  gone  to  perdition  and  back 
for  all  I  would  have  held  out  a  finger.  But  smart 
you  were,  and  that  sealed  you;  but  not  smart 
enough,  boy." 

I  moistened  my  lips,  for  my  ideas  were  coming 
back  to  me,  coming  in  upon  me  indeed  in  a  flood. 

"Perhaps  we  had  better  understand  each 
other,"  I  said. 

"That's  good  talking,"  he  said  approvingly. 
"  Let's  swab  up  the  decks  since  there's  not  likely 
to  be  another  mess,  at  least  where  we  two  are  con- 
cerned. I  took  measure  of  you,  Lieutenant,  in  that 
island,  and  I  guessed  you  pretty  smart,  but  your 


THE  PRIVATEERS  113 

bluff  put  me  off.  Englishmen  can't  bluff  much 
and  I  took  your  statements  at  face  value.  That's 
where  I  just  made  a  mistake.  You  said  you'd 
known  Fordyce  two  days.  I  took  that  in  like 
milk,  and  dismissed  you.  You  weren't  in  the 
game.  And,  by  blazes,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  my 
trail,  you'd  have  diddled  me." 

' '  Trail !"     I  cried  in  amazement. 

"Why  yes,  trail,"  he  repeated  evenly.  "What 
else  have  you  been  following  on  the  last  day  and 
a  half?  You  followed  up  Butterfield  from  San- 
down.  Now  I'd  reckoned  on  his  being  followed, 
and  I  wanted  him  followed,  but  I  didn't  think  of 
you.  I'd  put  my  money  on  Alston.  And  you 
caught  Butterfield  at  a  restaurant  and  faced  it  out 
pretty  nicely.  That  was  when  I  first  took  sus- 
picion you  might  not  be  quite  on  the  straight ;  but 
I  wasn't  certain  till  I  saw  you  at  that  inn  to-night. 
That  fixed  me  up,  and  I  was  glad  I'd  opened  my 
bag's  mouth  wide.  I  thought  it  was  wide  enough 
to  catch  two." 

"I'm  beginning  to  see  some  sense  in  all  this," 
said  I  as  indifferently  as  I  might.  "I've been  sand- 
bagged, if  I  may  put  it  in  that  way." 

"That's  a  rough  way  of  putting  it, "  said  Rudg- 
wick,  meditatively,  flicking  the  ash  from  his 
cigar. 

"And  with  what  purpose?"  I  asked  formally. 
'  "Say,  Lieutenant,  you  got  on  my  trail — the 


Ii4  THE  PRIVATEERS 

trail  I  had  laid  carefully,  and  was  keeping  full  of 
scent,  and  you  fell  into  the  net.  I  reckoned  when 
Butterfield  came  along,  with  his  itinerary  chalked 
so  plain  behind  him,  we  should  have  someone 
along  after  him,  but  I  hardly  looked  for  you.  I 
thought  there  was  some  doubt  about  that  restau- 
rant business.  But  we  must  take  what  the  gods 
send." 

He  grinned  at  me  quite  pleasantly.  Here  he 
was",  so  to  speak,  tabling  his  cards,  and  pretences 
were  of  no  use  between  us  .  I  followed  his  lead. 

"  You  wanted  to  bag  Alston?"  I  asked. 

"  So, "  he  assented.  "  But  all's  fish  that  comes 
to  the  net.  I've  got  you." 

"Again  we  return  to  that  point,  "I  said  dryly; 
"with  what  object?" 

"You're  in  this,"  he  said.  "You're  up  to  your 
neck  in  it;  and  so  you  take  the  risks.  You  play 
the  game  by  the  rules,  I  take  it,  and  know 
what  to  expect."  He  looked  at  me  keenly, 
and  then  his  glance  travelled  to  my  head.  "I 
guess  you're  sore-headed,  and  I'm  sorry.  But 
why  the  blazes  don't  you  stand  from  under? 
I  suppose,"  he  ended  meditatively,  "it's  be- 
cause you  stand  in  with  Alston." 

" On  the  contrary, "  said  I,  "I  spoke  the  pre- 
cise truth  when  I  told  you  I  had  only  known 
Alston  two  days.  I  know  nothing  of  his  business 
affairs  or  your  Montana  mines." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  115 

He  shot  a  swift  glance  at  me.  "That  so?"  he 
said  slowly.  "You  don't  know  anything  about 
our  Montana  mines.  Well,  where  precisely  do 
you  come  in,  Mr.  Kerslake?  That's  interesting 
me  a  lot." 

"You  have  wonderful  ways  in  America,"  I 
answered.  "But  on  this  side  we  don't  reckon 
abduction  as  a  legitimate  factor  in  business 
operations." 

"You  don't?"  he  said  with  an  intonation  of 
interrogation,  but  he  evidently  wanted  no  answer, 
and  was  lost  in  thought.  He  smoked  reflectively. 
"  So,"  said  he  presently,  "  It's  the  young  lady,  eh? 
Well,  Lieutenant,  don't  you  get  it  into  your  head 
that  there's  any  distressed  damsel  in  this  business, 
because  there  isn't.  This  lady's  not  going  to  be 
uncomfortable,  not  by  a  long  way.  She's  going 
to  enjoy  a  sea-trip ;  at  least  she'll  enjoy  it  when  she 
gets  her  sea -legs."  His  familiar  grim  smile  flared 
and  faded  on  his  swart  face.  "  The  lady's  fixed  up 
right  enough.  I  guess  we  can  give  you  that 
assurance." 

"Your  assurance  would  be  more  valuable  if  I 
knew  anything  about  you,"  I  said  shortly.  "All 
that  I  do  know  is  that  you  operate  with  women 
as  pawns,  a  thing  which  we  do  not  understand 
here." 

"You'll  understand  that  further  along,  I 
reckon, "  he  replied  unmoved. 


n6  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  I  don't  know  anything  of  your  business  with 
Alston  and  it  doesn't  interest  me ;  but,  damn  it,  I 
will  not  see  an  innocent  countrywoman  of  mine 
dragged  into  your  quarrels." 

"  Meaning  mine  and  Alston's?"  said  he. 

"  Either  of  you — both  of  you, "  said  I  hotly. 

He  turned  aside  and  screwed  his  mouth  askew. 

"I  see  how  you  stand  now, "  he  said,  "and 
Alston's  pretty  smart  to  have  got  hold  of  you. 
He's  to  be  congratulated.  I'll  make  you  an  offer, 
Mr.  Kerslake.  Miss  Lovell  goes  on  a  pleasure 
voyage,  Mediterranean  or  anywhere  you  will,  and 
comes  back  the  picture  of  health  and  beauty  if 
you'll  clear  out  of  this." 

"I  clear  out?"   I  echoed. 

"  You're  mixed  up  in  this  for  Miss  Lovell's  sake. 
You  think  she  isn't  being  played  with  fair.  That's 
it,  isn't  it?  Well,  if  you  are  assured  that  she's 
all  right,  you'll  clear  out?" 

I  laughed.  "Good  Lord,  man,"  said  I.  "Do 
you  suppose  we  do  things  that  way  in  England?" 

"  I  guess  this  is  France, "  he  said  coolly.  "  Not 
that  I  take  much  stock  in  England  either.  I 
admit  your  English  law  and  order  is  a  bit  stiffer 
than  ours,  but  it  won't  hold  together  more  than 
paste-board  in  the  rain  if  I  try.  What  I  ask  is 
your  parole,  so  to  speak,  in  return  for  my  assur- 
ance." 

"Absurd!"  I  ejaculated. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  117 

"You  will  see  that  it  is  parole  on  both  sides," 
he  said  gravely. 

"I  utterly  refuse"  I  said  angrily.  "You  kid- 
nap a  young  and  helpless  girl,  and  when  she  is 
followed  by  one  who  has  no  claim  on  her  save  that 
of  common  humanity,  he  is  waylaid  and  bludg- 
eoned by  your  hirelings;  and  then  you  stand 
there  and  talk  of  terms." 

"  That's  it ;  you  docket  the  case  very  succinctly, " 
he  said  approvingly.  "  I'm  a  business  man  and  I 
offer  terms." 

"  Your  terms  be  damned, "  I  cried. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "There's  nothing 
to  keep  a  fool  from  his  folly,  so  far  as  I  know,  that 
was  ever  invented, "  he  remarked.  "  I  hope  you'll 
find  your  quarters  comfortable,"  he  added  as  he 
went  to  the  door. 

I  stopped  him.  " Stay, "  I  said.  "I  should  like 
to  know  exactly  how  we  stand." 

"The  move's  up  to  you, "  he  said  imperturbed. 
"  If  you  like  to  pass  your  wrord  to  go  out  of  it,  you 
can  go  right  back  to-morrow.  If  not,  I  hope  you'll 
make  shift  to  make  yourself  comfortable  here." 

"You  hold  me  prisoner?"  I  demanded. 

"  It  comes  to  that, "  he  admitted.  "  Prisoner  of 
war." 

I  looked  round  the  room  with  its  massive  cold 
walls.  This  then  was  designed  as  my  cell.  It 
seemed  preposterous.  He  noted  my  glance.  "Its 


ii8  THE  PRIVATEERS 

an  interesting  old  place,"  he  said;  "they  tell  me 
these  frescoes  date  from  the  fourteenth  century. 
This  was  where  the  friars  had  their  refectory.  It's 
quite  an  antique  place." 

It  was  as  if  the  proprietor  introduced  his  house 
to  an  honoured  guest.  I  could  have  laughed. 

"  I'll  send  Butterfield  along,  to  see  if  you  want 
anything,"  he  added,  and  with  a  familiar  nod 
passed  out  ere  I  could  answer.  I  went  to  the 
window  and  peered  out.  The  night  was  full,  but 
was,  as  is  ever  the  case  in  midsummer,  still  preg- 
nant with  unborn  light.  The  stars  gleamed  in 
heaven,  and  the  sickle  moon  shone  in  the  Bay. 
From  the  window  I  guessed  it  was  a  drop  of 
twenty  feet  to  the  ground,  and  from  the  contours 
and  configurations  of  the  building  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  I  was  in  a  tower.  The  window 
was  barred  heavily  with  iron  on  the  outside.  I 
returned  and  tried  the  door.  It  was  locked. 
Nothing  was  lacking  to  constitute  this  room  an 
ideal  gaol.  My  head  throbbed  and  I  was  dead- 
tired.  The  events  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours 
had  worn  me  out,  and  I  could  not  "  get  the  hang" 
of  my  situation;  and  so,  like  a  wise  man  and  an 
old  campaigner  who  has  been  in  many  difficulties, 
I  resolved  on  sleep.  I  told  Butterfield  that  I 
wanted  nothing,  and  I  threw  myself  down  on  the 
bed  which  occupied  one  corner  of  the  big  chamber. 
I  think  I  was  asleep  within  ten  minutes. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  119 

When  I  awoke  the  sun  was  well  up,  and  streamed 
upon  a  beautiful  world.  The  house  lay,  as  I 
conjectured,  some  three  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
the  broad  blue  waters  were  flashing  in  the  distance 
enchantingly.  As  I  gazed  my  eye  was  caught  by 
the  raking  masts  and  black  hull  of  a  schooner.  It 
was  undoubtedly  the  Mermaid,  Rudgwick's 
yacht,  that  lay  at  anchor  off  the  land.  And  he 
had  taken  possession  of  this  old  house  to  hold 
Alston  prisoner.  For  it  was  clear  that  he  had  not 
expected  my  participation  in  the  struggle.  Well, 
he  had  snared  me,  but  what  of  Alston?  As  I 
stood,  wrapped  in  thought,  and  only  half -conscious 
of  that  beautiful  morning,  the  door  opened  and 
Butterfield  made  his  appearance. 

His  greeting  was  friendly,  as  if  there  was  nothing 
at  all  embarrassing  between  us,  and  he  inquired 
what  I  should  like  for  breakfast. 

"  They  don't  use  breakfasts  here  as  we  do,  Mr. 
Kerslake,"  he  explained.  "This  is  a  one-horse 
place  for  food  exceptin',  they  tell  me,  Paris. 
Paris  is  all  right,  they  say,  and  I'm  going  to  try 
when  I  get  to  Paris." 

"  I  hope  that  will  be  soon, "  said  I. 

"Well,  I  can't  exactly  say,"  he  said.  "It  de- 
pends on  circumstances,"  and  he  looked  at  me 
shrewdly. 

I  gave  him  my  order,  and  surveyed  the  situation 
during  his  absence.  If  Rudgwick  adhered  to  his 


120  THE  PRIVATEERS 

plan  of  keeping  me  prisoner  I  was  helpless  to  assist 
Miss  Lovell,  as  helpless  as  if  I  passed  my  word  to 
withdraw  from  her  affairs.  Rudgwick  had  me  in 
a  cleft  stick,  always  providing  I  could  not  break 
out.  That  was  the  sole  chance.  But  I  wanted  to 
see  a  little  deeper  into  his  schemes,  and  so  was  not 
averse  from  another  meeting  with  him.  I  had 
discipline  enough  to  keep  my  temper  now  as  well 
as  he,  for  I  saw  it  was  not  by  emotional  outbreaks 
that  anything  might  be  accomplished.  Brain 
must  henceforward  be  matched  against  brain. 
It  was  at  this  point  in  my  thoughts  that  Rudg- 
wick appeared. 

"I've  looked  in  to  sort  of  punch  your  ticket  for 
the  journey,"  he  explained  jocosely;  "that  is,  if 
you'll  go  that  journey." 

I  shook  my  head.     "  I  like  my  quarters." 

His  smile  was  appreciative.  "I  like  a  stout 
opponent,  who  plays  fair, "  he  observed. 

"  Oh,  I  will  play  anyway,  I  warn  you, "  I  said. 

"You  think  you  would,"  he  said.  "But  I 
guess  you're  white  enough.  If  you  want  any- 
thing, ask  Butterfield.  He's  ready  on  his  part 
and  has  a  way  of  getting  round  things.  He's  the 
trickiest  man  I've  knocked  up  for  many  a  year." 

"  Your  factotum  ?' '  I  asked  quite  civilly. 

He  nodded.  "Do  anything  from  cooking  hot 
clam  broth  to  bulling  railway  bonds." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  and  how  long  do  I  lodge  here?" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  121 

"That  depends  on  yourself,"  said  he,  "and 
after  that  on  Fordyce." 

"You  have  him  too?"  I  asked  quickly. 

"No,"  he  said  slowly.  "We  didn't  bag  him. 
He  was  too  fly.  We  couldn't  hit  on  him." 

"Yes,  I  sent  him  word,"  I  said. 

"Ah!  That  so?"  said  Rudgwick.  "That  was 
cute  of  you.  I  see,  the  diary  dodge,  was  it?  Yes, 
you're  smart.  Well,  we  didn't  get  him.  But  if 
he'll  sign  up  now,  I  guess  you're  free  now.  If  he's 
obstinate  and  you  too,  I  guess  I've  got  to  enter- 
tain you  a  bit  longer." 

"Do  you  imagine  this  is  the  Wild  West?"  I 
asked.  "This  is  civilised  Europe." 

"I  fancy  we're  going  to  enliven  civilised 
Europe,  a  bit  then,"  said  he,  "  and  don't  you  forget 
it!" 

I  turned  and  looked  out  of  the  window,  where 
the  Mermaid  rode,  a  stretch  off  the  land  on 
the  unruffled  sea. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Mr.  Kerslake,"  I  heard 
Rudgwick's  voice.  "I'm  willing  to  make  a  deal 
with  you  even  now.  Say,  I'll  better  my  offer; 
and  if  you'll  give  me  that  parole  not  to  interfere 
with  anything,  I'll  ship  you  along  with  the  lady 
for  a  pleasure  voyage." 

He  paused,  while  of  a  sudden  my  heart  woke 
within  me,  and  the  glow  of  my  hot  blood  thrilled 
me  through.  "  You  stand  out  of  the  game,  and 


122  THE  PRIVATEERS 

you  can  see  things  are  all  right  for  yourself,"  he 
added,  seeing  me  hesitate. 

I  shook  my  head.  The  temptation  had  been 
great;  the  renunciation  was  heroic.  If  I  agreed  to 
this  course  I  abdicated  all  power  to  intervene  in 
Miss  Lovell's  predicament.  To  accept  were  base 
selfishness,  all  the  more  pronounced  because  of  my 
private  feelings  for  her.  If  Rudgwick  spoke  the 
truth  she  would  come  to  no  harm  whether  I  was 
there  to  safeguard  her  or  not.  And  I  might, 
though  now  a  prisoner,  be  able  to  accomplish 
something.  Even  if  I  did  not,  the  compact  he 
proposed  would  be  a  shameful  one. 

"No;  it  is  impossible,"  I  said.  "I'm  your 
prisoner." 

He  nodded  casually,  and  left  me.  I  think  he 
was  amused,  for  he  had  never  any  doubt  of  himself, 
as  I  learned  to  know,  and  he  never  wasted  words. 

I  had  thus  signed  my  own  committal  order,  so 
to  say,  and  must  put  up  with  the  situation  so 
created.  Rudgwick  vanished,  on  what  business 
I  could  only  guess.  He  had  not  Alston,  and  so 
was  not  wholly  in  the  winning  position,  but  he  had 
powerful  trumps  in  his  hand,  if  not  the  "joker," 
at  least  he  had  right  and  left  "bower,"  if  Miss 
Lovell  might  be  classified  as  the  one  and  I  as  the 
other.  That  would  enable  him  to  put  the  screw 
on  Alston,  and,  groping  about  in  my  ignorance  of 
the  exact  dispute  between  them,  I  concluded  that 


THE  PRIVATEERS  123 

probably  Rudgwick  would  seek  to  bring  his  enemy 
to  terms.  Meanwhile  I  was  left  to  the  society  of 
Butterfield,  an  excellent  handy  man,  as  I  dis- 
covered. I  made  a  thorough  examination  of  my 
cell,  during  the  first  two  days  of  my  incarceration, 
and  found  no  encouragement  as  a  prison-breaker. 
The  masonry  was  solid, the  windows  were  staunch- 
ly barred  and  Butterfield  was  clearly,  strongly 
supported.  I  made  this  out  from  his  own 
statement,  for  he  was  communicative  up  to  a 
point. 

"Did  you  ever  bargain  to  turn  gaoler?"  I 
asked  him  once;  and  he  interrupted  his  work, 
which  was  that  of  making  my  bed,  to  consider. 

"No;  I  guess  not.  I've  been  most  things,  but 
I  never  thought  of  that,"  he  answered.  "But 
what  the  boss  says  goes.  I  reckon  that '11  be  com- 
fortable now, "  and  he  patted  the  bed. 

"  See  here,  Butterfield. "  I  went  on  gravely. 
"  I'm  a  pretty  strong  man,  and  I  shouldn't  put  you 
down  at  that,  whatever  your  good  points  are. 
Not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  on  it,  you  look  some- 
thing of  a  shrimp.  What's  to  prevent  my  knock- 
ing you  over  and  making  off?" 

He  grinned,  stroked  his  curiously  twisted  face, 
and  put  a  hand  in  his  pocket.  "  I  guess  I'm  not 
leaving  much  to  the  imagination,"  he  said.  "I 
don't  pretend  to  be  Hercules,  and  you  don't  sup- 
pose I  put  my  hand  in  the  lion's  mouth  without 


124  THE  PRIVATEERS 

taking  precautions.  If  I  were  you,  Lieutenant, 
I  wouldn't  put  that  experiment  to  the  test. " 

"No,"  said  I.  "I've  always  taken  you  for  a 
man  of  parts,  and  those  parts  evidently  don't  lie 
in  your  bodily  frame.  You  go  by  brains,  Butter- 
field." 

"That's  so,"  he  said  complacently. 

"  I  wouldn't  have  asked,  only  I  was  curious  to 
know  exactly  what  protection  you  had. " 

"  You'll  have  to  try  again,  Lieutenant, "  he  said, 
wagging  his  head  pleasantly. 

No ;  there  was  not  much  to  be  got  out  of  Butter- 
field,  but  he  would  talk  as  much  as  I  liked  of 
matters  that  did  not  matter ;  and  it  whiled  away 
the  heavy  hours  to  chatter  with  him.  His  good- 
nature was  imperturbable,  and  he  never  took 
offence,  even  at  my  most  irritable  remarks.  Per- 
haps that  was  natural,  as  he  held  the  upper  hand. 
He  was  possessed  by  an  overwhelming  admiration 
for  the  "boss."  The  boss  was  everything;  he 
could  do  no  wrong;  and  so  far  as  Butterfield  was 
concerned,  the  President  of  the  United  States  took 
a  very  inferior  position.  Yet  this  loyalty  I  gather- 
ed, was  founded  rather  on  respect  for  Rudgwick's 
mental  properties  and  business  qualities  than  on 
any  personal  affection.  He  was  quite  a  young 
man,  I  discovered,  only  35,  yet  he  wore  a  battered 
air  with  his  changing  hair,  such  as  was  consonant 
with  a  man  of  much  more  advanced  years.  He 


THE  PRIVATEERS  125 

had  been  for  some  years  in  Rudgwick's  employ- 
ment, and  he  esteemed  him  profoundly. 

"  The  boss, "  said  he  approvingly,  "  is  hot  as  hot 
cakes.  I  guess  he's  a  wall,  Sir,  if  you  run  up 
against  him;  and  I  wouldn't  have  that  forty  ton 
engine  on  my  track,  not  for  bonanzas. " 

"A  successful  man,  as  success  is  accounted  in 
your  country,"  I  remarked. 

"  Why,  ain't  success  success  ? "  asked  Mr.  Butter- 
field  with  some  indignation.  "The  boss  can 
reckon  himself  in  seven  figures,  and  he's  going  to  be 
reckoned  in  eight  too.  There's  Rockefeller,  and 
Morgan  and  Carnegie.  I  know,"  he  said  with  a 
little  strain  of  sadness  in  his  voice,  "that  their 
piles  is  pretty  big,  and  the  boss  has  got  a  lot  of 
way  to  make  up.  But  I  put  my  greenbacks  on 
him.  He'll  catch  'em  up,  Sir,  you  trust  me,  and 
I  shouldn't  be  surprised  before  long  to  see  him 
wipe  Rockefeller's  eye." 

"If  he  pulls  off  this  Montana  deal?"  I  said. 
Butterfield  looked  at  me,  but  said  nothing  to  this, 
only  repeated : 

"  I  guess  he'll  dust  W.  J.'s  jacket  for  him. " 

The  man  was  obviously  ignorant;  he  was  pro- 
vincial to  a  degree ;  and  (I  gathered)  this  was  the 
first  time  he  had  been  out  of  America.  But  he 
was  undoubtedly  a  handy  man,  good  at  shifts, 
and  clever  of  invention.  Yet  his  record  spelled, 
according  to  his  own  showing,  failure.  He  had 


126  THE  PRIVATEERS 

passed  through  many  trades  and  callings,  and  suc- 
ceeded at  none.  There  was  some  defect  in  him 
which  told  against  him  in  the  long  run.  He  made 
an  admirable  and  useful  servant,  but  he  was  no 
good  as  his  own  master ;  and  he  clung  with  almost 
touching  fidelity  to  the  man  who  was  a  success, 
and  who  had  seen  his  possibilities  and  picked  him 
up  at  a  shabby  period  of  his  variegated  career. 

On  the  third  day  of  my  captivity  the  schooner 
disappeared  from  the  Bay.  By  this  time  I  was 
getting  restive,  for  all  my  ingenuity  failed  before 
the  facts  of  the  situation,  but  I  took  a  resolution 
that  day.  I  had  not  succeeded  so  far  in  extracting 
from  Butterfield  anything  of  material  use  to  me. 
I  did  not  even  know  how  I  was  guarded.  That 
was  to  be  remedied,  as  you  will  see. 

When  Butterfield  entered  to  remove  my  dejeuner 
in  his  debonair  and  friendly  manner  I  rose  from 
my  seat  and  suddenly  gripped  him  by  the  middle 
as  he  bent  over  the  table.  The  little  man  squirm- 
ed and  kicked  and  fought  like  an  imp.  He  bit 
into  my  knuckles  deeply,  and  my  shins  were 
knocked  raw  with  his  heels.  It  was  only  when 
I  slipped  the  serviette  into  his  mouth  that  he  gave 
in.  Perhaps  he  did  so  with  a  sense  of  humour. 
He  had  fought  but  he  was  of  no  use  where  mere 
physical  prowess  was  in  question.  I  took  from 
his  pocket  the  revolver  which  I  had  suspected, 
and,  having  rolled  him  up  in  a  smothered  tangle 


'  It  was  only  when  I  slipped  the  serviette  into  his  mouth  that  he  gave  in  " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  127 

in  the  blankets,  went  to  the  door.  This  I  opened 
and  slipped  into  the  passage,  turning  the  key  be- 
hind me.  When  this  was  over  I  looked  up  to  find 
myself  covered  by  a  Colt ;  and  the  man  behind  it 
was  the  puffy  red-faced,  bullet-headed  man  whom 
I  had  seen  on  Rudgwick's  yacht,  and  who  had 
watched  me  at  Portsmouth. 

It  was  his  funeral,  as  he  would  have  said,  and 
I  let  my  arm  drop. 

"  All  right, "  I  said  with  a  short  laugh,  "  I'm  go- 
ing back.  I'm  not  looking  for  an  undertaker," 
and  I  turned  the  key  again  and  re-entered.  I 
had  found  out  something  which  I  did  not  know 
before.  Butterfield  was  protected,  and,  if  I  was 
to  make  my  escape,  all  my  wits  would  be  needed. 
They  had  carried  me  to  this  discovery,  which 
was  useful,  and  a  point  further  also,  as  Butter- 
field  realised  presently.  He  had  extricated 
himself  from  the  bed-clothes,  when  I  returned, 
and  had  taken  the  gag  from  his  mouth. 

"  Lieutenant,  if  you'd  taken  the  trouble  to  ask 
me,"  he  said  solemnly,  "I  could  have  told  you 
that  was  no  good,  and  prevented  you  from  wasting 
your  time." 

"And  saved  your  throat  a  bit,  eh?"  I  said 
jauntily,  with  the  revolver  in  my  hands.  It  was 
a  six-barrelled  pin-fire  weapon,  quite  small  and 
neat.  He  looked  at  it. 

"  I  reckon  it's  no  go,  sir, "  he  said. 


128  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"No;  but  I  know  a  bit  more,"  I  replied,  and 
I  placed  the  toy  in  my  inner  breast  pocket. 

"Say,"  he  said  solicitously.  "You're  not 
going  to  keep  that?" 

"Why,  yes;  it's  safer  here  than  with  you, 
Butterfield, ' '  I  answered.  ' '  You  can  see  for  your- 
self that  I  can't  do  anything  with  that  blatant, 
gooseberry-eyed  bos'un  of  yours  without.  So 
easy's  easy,  and  let  us  cry  quits.  Only  I  keep  the 
toy." 

After  a  momentary  hesitation  he  acquiesced, 
though  I  could  see  he  did  not  approve  of  the  new 
arrangement  and  only  yielded  to  the  argument  of 
force.  I  had  the  weapon  and  there  was  an  end  of  it. 

"Well,  Lieutenant,  I  reckon  you're  sensible," 
he  said  soothingly.  "You  won't  be  drilling  any 
holes  anywhere  unnecessarily. " 

I  sat  down  with  a  curious  sense  of  growing  con- 
fidence. What  was  it,  after  all,  to  have  gained 
this  petty  advantage  over  a  weakling? 

"  And  yet, "  I  said,  "  you  would  have  drilled  a 
hole  in  me." 

"  I  suppose  I  would, "  he  said  coolly. 

"  Do  you  reconcile  that  with  your  conscience  as 
a  decent  man?"  I  asked.  "It  looks  like  blank 
murder." 

"No;  I  don't  look  at  it  in  that  light, "  said  Mr. 
Butterfield  argumentatively.  "  It's  a  kind  of  war 
we're  on,  and  we  take  our  risks. " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  129 

"I'm  only  trying  to  rescue  a  poor  girl  from  a 
dastardly  abductor, "  I  said  sharply. 

"That  may  be,  Lieutenant,"  he  said  equably, 
after  a  pause.  "  I  don't  deny  that  may  be  from 
your  point  of  view.  But,  it  isn't  philosophy,  not 
by  any  means.  See  here,"  he  went  on,  getting 
hold  of  his  argument,  and  consequently  showing 
more  animation.  "If  you're  doing  business, 
you've  got  to  take  risks  and  the  other  fellow  has 
too.  Well,  the  boss  takes  his  risks,  and  if  he  can 
crowd  out  ElihuK.  Scanlan  with  a  big  popgun,  he 
does  it.  That  means  hell  for  Elihu,  and  all  his  lot, 
but  it's  in  the  game,  and  he  can't  complain.  It's  a 
natural  warfare,  an'  someone's  bound  to  come  on 
top,  just  as  someone's  bound  to  go  under.  I  guess 
the  boss's  operations  don't  exactly  mean  theatre 
tickets  all  round.  When  he  gets  on  the  prowl,  I 
tell  you  a  tiger  isn't  in  it,"  he  said  admiringly. 
"He  scorches;  he  makes  the  pace  hot.  And  some 
one's  bound  to  fall  out  and  die  by  the  wayside. 
That's  nature.  You  can't  make  an  omelette  with- 
out breaking  eggs.  Say, "  he  broke  off.  "  Is  that 
omelette  a  fool  affair  or  is  it  real  good?  They 
think  a  sight  of  it  in  some  quarters. " 

"  Oh,  it's  a  daisy, "  I  said  lightly,  for  his  sophis- 
try, his  excuses,  his  ingenuous  and  scandalous 
philosophy  had  tickled  me.  Mr.  Butterfield 
amused  me. 

"I  guess  I've  got  to  learn  how  to  make  an 


i3o  THE  PRIVATEERS 

omelette,"  he  said  thoughtfully,  rubbing  at  his 
jaw  where  the  serviette  had  hurt  him. 

"  Make  me  one  to-morrow, "  I  said  jocularly. 

"  I  will,  Lieutenant, "  said  he  as  he  left  me,  as 
cheerful  and  as  alert  and  as  composed  as  when  he 
entered.  As  for  me,  I  had  one  point  gained,  and 
I  went  over  to  the  window  and  looked  out  on  the 
afternoon  sky.  I  still  was  without  a  plan,  but 
I  was  no  longer  without  a  weapon.  As  I  stared, 
I  was  aware  of  a  movement  nearby  that  arrested 
my  semi-conscious  eyes.  The  grille  of  the  iron 
bars  prevented  me  from  obtruding  my  head  more 
than  a  foot  beyond  the  level  of  the  window ;  but 
from  my  position  I  could  see  part  of  the  wall  of 
the  house,  and  even  a  floor  above  me,  but  a  little 
to  the  left  was  another  grille  such  as  my  window. 
It  was  here  I  observed  the  movement.  An  arm 
emerged  bare  to  the  wrist  and  was  lifted  twice  or 
thrice  in  the  air.  Above  I  noticed  some  fluttering 
timid  birds.  Someone  was  feeding  them.  I  kept 
my  gaze  on  the  grille,  and  again  the  arm  pro- 
truded. It  was  slimly  rounded  and  white,  and 
the  cap  of  the  sleeve  above  the  elbow  was  of 
muslin. 

It  was  the  arm  of  a  woman,  the  arm  rather  of 
a  girl. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
BREAKING  OUT  OF  CHATEAU  CABRIAC 

I  KNOW  that  where  sexual  matters  are  con- 
cerned, imagination  is  a  diligent  and  impetuous 
usher.  Our  minds  romantically  go  forward  with- 
out due  reason;  we  guess  instinctively  and  are 
most  generally  wrong.  We  take  a  swallow  to 
represent  summer,  and  the  part  for  the  whole. 
Indeed  in  the  matter  of  woman's  beauty  the  part 
is  too  often  greater  than  the  whole.  The  texture, 
the  symmetry,  the  general  address  of  that  slim 
arm,  demonstrated  to  me  youth  and  beauty.  I 
stared,  but  it  came  not  forth  again.  It  was  as  if 
its  mission  had  been  completed  with  that  single 
exposure.  I  was  an  idle  man,  and  my  wits  were 
in  despair;  they  fastened  curiously  on  the  new 
event — a  girl's  white  arm  through  the  embra- 
sured window. 

At  that  my  pulse  jumped.  I  looked  seaward, 
whence  the  yacht  had  vanished,  and  then  upwards 
at  the  grille.  Was  it  another  prisoner?  Was 
it ? 

Rudgwick  had  secured  this  chateau,  probably 
for  a  summer  month  or  two.  It  belonged,  to 


I32  THE  PRIVATEERS 

judge  from  the  one  room  I  had  seen,  to  an  im- 
poverished family.  And  now  for  the  first  time 
I  realised  that  this  house  could  not  have  been 
taken  after  my  interception.  It  must  have  been 
in  readiness.  It  was  not  taken  for  me.  Was  it 
taken  for  Alston?  That,  of  course,  was  possible; 
but  the  slim  white  arm  vanishing  into  the  white 
muslin  frill  about  the  elbow  made  me  wonder. 
Where  was  Miss  Lovell?  She  might  be  aboard 
the  yacht.  Indeed  Rudgwick  had  indicated  that 
this  was  so  by  his  offer  to  me,  but  I  had  not  ac- 
cepted his  offer,  and  he  might  have  changed  his 
mind.  Would  he  indeed  have  run  the  risk  of 
keeping  his  yacht  in  the  bay  for  several  days  with 
that  precious  prize  aboard  while  Alston,  the 
disappointed  bridegroom  was  at  large  and  afoot? 
And  if  she  were  not  in  the  Mermaid  she  must 
be— 

I  fancied  I  caught  the  flash  of  that  beautiful 
arm  even  through  the  murk  of  the  prison-bars. 
I  could  no  longer  doubt;  at  least  it  stirred  me  to 
believe,  and  I  would  believe  it.  I  had  faith  in 
my  dreams,  then,  faith  in  my  destiny;  faith,  too, 
in  the  efflorescence  of  that  Morning  Glory.  Sylvia 
Lovell  was  a  prisoner  in  the  chateau  like  myself. 

When  Butterfield  entered  he  found  me  pre- 
occupied. "Come,  Captain,"  said  he,  "we 
mustn't  have  you  dull." 

Although  he  had  thus  promoted  me  it  did  not 


THE  PRIVATEERS  133 

cheer  me.  "  I  don't  like  to  see  you  pining,  Cap- 
tain," he  added,  and  I  really  do  not  believe  he 
did. 

"You  can  make  me  rejoice,"  said  I. 

"  Say,  if  there's  any  way  I  can  do  it,  save  one 
way,  I'll  do  it,"  he  declared. 

He  was  so  serious  that  I  could  have  laughed, 
particularly  as  the  idea  came  to  me  in  that  very 
moment.  I  smiled  instead. 

"Say,"  he  resumed  earnestly.  "What's  the 
matter  with  your  fixing  it  up  with  the  boss? 
He's  all  right.  I'd  a  durn  sight  sooner  earn  a  dime 
working  with  him  than  a  dollar  against  him. 
Can't  you  fix  things  up?" 

"To  say  the  truth,"  I  replied,  "that  idea  has 
been  in  my  head  for  some  little  time.  It  seems 
inevitable." 

"That's  so.  It  ain't  worth  it,"  he  assured  me. 
"There's  no  money  in  it,  knocking  up  against  the 
boss.  I  reckon  he  has  a  fancy  to  you,  and  he'll 
make  it  easy  for  you  to  climb  down.  You  can 
settle  on  par  terms,  I'll  go  bail;  yes,  Sir." 

"When  I  see  him  again "  I  began,  and  he 

interrupted  cheerily. 

"You'll  see  him  to-morrow,  I  reckon." 

Here  was  some  news  which  perhaps  was  not 
intended  to  reach  me,  for  I  could  see  from  the  ex- 
pression that  Butterfield's  face  took  on  that  he 
regretted  his  slip.  I  was  glad  to  know  the  date 


134  THE  PRIVATEERS 

of  his  master's  return,  for  I  had  that  idea  in  my 
head  to  nourish,  and  to  embody  in  fact. 

"I'll  treat,"  I  said  with  decision.  "There's  no 
fun  in  this  anyway." 

This  resolution  affected  him  sensibly.  He 
nodded  approval,  and  grew  more  friendly.  I  am 
certain  he  regarded  me  as  one  who  had  been 
worsted  in  a  deal  with  Rudgwick,  as  Alston  should 
be  worsted.  It  was  a  mere  matter  of  business, 
and  there  was  no  room  for  an  ounce  of  sentiment 
in  it  on  either  side.  The  greatest  rivals,  when 
once  peace  is  made,  incline  to  co-operation.  It 
is  the  swing  of  the  pendulum,  a  natural  re-action 
perhaps.  So  I  believe  Butterfield  almost  con- 
templated me  as  a  possible  ally.  He  explained 
the  boss  more  fully  to  me  in  an  amiable  way, 
and  offered  no  objection  to  answering  some  of 
my  questions,  one  of  which  concerned  the  house 
in  which  we  were. 

"  Well,  it  won't  hurt  you  to  know,  Lieutenant," 
he  replied,  "and  it  don't  damage  us.  Chateau 
Cabriac's  what  they  call  it." 

Chateau  Cabriac!  Well,  that  piece  of  informa- 
tion also  might  be  of  use. 

"  Say,"  said  he,  when  this  trend  of  the  conver- 
sation ended.  "Say,  I've  learned  how  to  cook 
an  omelette,  Lieutenant — a  real  French  omelette. 
It's  bully — not  too  dry  and  not  too  greasy.  I'd 
like  to  do  one  for  you." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  135 

"You  are  very  kind,  Butterfield,"  I  said  in- 
differently. 

He  was  taken  up  with  the  notion,  as  pleased  as 
a  hen  with  a  chicken,  and  danced  off  to  the 
kitchen,  I  imagine,  there  to  make  a  test  of  his 
newly  acquired  culinary  skill. 

When  he  returned,  his  queer  sallow  face  was 
gone  to  a  savage  and  ignoble  redness,  but  it 
beamed  on  me,  and  he  carried  a  plate  in  the  midst 
of  which  lollopped,  if  I  may  put  it  in  that  way,  a 
monstrous  omelette  aux  fines  herbes.  The  reckless 
creature  in  his  enthusiasm  had  obviously  broken 
all  his  eggs  into  the  pan,  and  here  was  a  dish  I 
could  not  eat  in  a  week.  I  told  him  so,  and  he 
seemed  downcast  at  the  news,  patiently  doubting 
my  faith  in  his  cooking.  However  I  set  those  fears 
at  ease  by  falling  to  at  once,  and  for  an  early  essay 
the  mess  was  as  good  as  needs  be.  The  information 
brought  him  once  more  to  the  grin  complacent. 

"  I  said  there  was  no  dish  I  couldn't  catch  on  to, 
if  I  saw  it  made,"  he  declared.  "I  always  was  a 
natural  hand  at  cooking,  from  a  boy,  when  I  used 
to  watch  my  mother  making  picked-up  cod-fish 
and  such  truck." 

"  I  could  eat  it  all  in  perhaps  two  days,  Butter- 
field,"  I  said  with  a  sigh.  "But  more's  beyond 
me  now.  Isn't  there  anyone  to  whom  it  would 
be  a  treat  ?  It's  a  pity  to  waste  a  dish  cooked 
with  the  art  of  a  connoisseur." 


136  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I  said  it  deliberately,  for  I  wanted  some  con- 
firmation of  my  astonishing  guess  earlier  in  the 
afternoon.  I  was  "fishing"  at  random;  but 
the  bait  was  taken.  Butterfield's  eyes  lighted 
suddenly. 

"Why,  yes,"  he  said.  "I  reckon  I  can  raise 
another  customer  somehow."  He  lifted  the  dish, 
and  then  was  struck  by  a  thought.  "Reckon 
I'll  get  another  plate,"  he  muttered,  and  hurried 
away. 

I  had  had,  as  I  have  said,  but  the  hope  of  a 
possible  confirmation  of  my  thoughts.  Now  I 
saw  a  chance  for  more  than  confirmation.  I  took 
my  pocket  book,  wrote  on  it,  tore  out  the  leaf, 
and  folded  it  in  a  small  roll.  The  omelette  like 
a  huge  yellow  pudding  lay  in  collapse  on  the  plate. 
I  lifted  one  end  gently  and  slipped  the  note  well 
into  the  mess. 

What  I  had  written  was  this : 

//  you  are  Miss  Lovell  wave  hand  thrice  at  win- 
dow. Courage.  Kerslake. 

Butterfield,  on  his  re-entrance,  came  forward 
to  the  table,  plate  in  hand,  and  made  an  adjust- 
ment of  the  omelette  on  the  larger  dish.  He  was 
in  high  spirits,  as  if  he  had  made  a  big  deal  in 
stocks,  and  departed  with  alacrity.  I  listened 
to  his  steps  along  the  stone  corridor,  and  then 
there  was  silence.  I  had  thrown  a  card  at  a  ven- 


'I  lifted  one  end  gently  and  slipped  the  note  well 
into  the  mess" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  137 

ture,  and  it  was  of  no  consequence  to  me  even  if 
it  should  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands. 

I  crossed  to  the  window  and  waited  for  quite 
half  an  hour,  but  there  was  no  appearance  at  the 
grille  above.  Then  Butter-field  entered,  and  I 
was  reluctantly  withdrawn  from  my  post. 

"Was  it  approved?"  I  asked. 

"Well,  I  think  it  will  be,"  he  said  confidently. 
"  It  was  better  than  the  last  I  made,  and  only  my 
second  attempt." 

It  was  all  right  then,  and  whoever  had  the 
precious  omelette  had  not  yet  tasted  it.  I  re- 
sumed my  place  of  observation  when  he  was  gone 
and  stood  there  half  an  hour  longer.  At  the  close 
of  that  time  I  started,  for  a  soft  arm,  clothed  in 
white  muslin,  mystic,  beautiful,  flashed  three 
times  through  the  embrasure  and  disappeared. 
I  breathed  deeply.  I  had  almost  given  up  hope. 
And  now  I  must  do  what  I  had  set  myself  to  do, 
for  the  motive  was  doubled,  nay  quadrupled. 

I  took  the  pinfire  revolver  from  my  pocket  and 
extracted  two  of  the  cartridges  with  the  ramrod. 
These  I  carefully  took  to  pieces,  and  secured  the 
bullets.  It  was  by  now  nearing  dusk,  and  Butter- 
field  would  be  bringing  my  supper  at  nine.  I 
had  to  wait  for  that  visit. 

It  was  darkling  when  he  came,  unlocking  the 
door,  and  carrying  in  my  tray. 

"  I  guess  you  want  a  light,"  he  remarked. 


138  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I  agreed,  and  setting  the  tray  down  he  went 
towards  the  lamp  in  the  further  corner  of  the 
room.  I  moved  silently  towards  the  door,  which 
he  had,  as  usual,  shut  behind  him.  His  back  was 
towards  me,  as  he  attended  to  the  lamp,  and 
moreover  the  darkness  of  the  room  obscured  my 
action.  Outside  I  knew  the  puffy-faced  ruffian 
stood  sentry.  I  slipped  the  two  bullets  into  the 
keyhole  swiftly,  and  turned  about  just  as  Butter- 
field  struck  his  match.  He  chatted  in  his  cus- 
tomary way  as  he  adjusted  the  wick,  and  then  he 
went  out.  I  listened. 

The  key  turned  in  the  wards  a  certain  distance 
and  then  grated,  I  heard  it  being  turned  back, 
and  again  Butterfield  tried  to  lock  it,  but  un- 
successfully. After  that  it  was  wrenched  out, 
and  I  heard  the  colloquy  of  voices  outside.  Pres- 
ently the  key  was  rumbling  once  more  in  the  lock ; 
and  then  there  was  silence.  No  doubt  it  occurred 
to  Butterfield's  shrewd  mind  that  the  noise  might 
draw  my  attention  to  the  defect  in  the  lock.  I 
knew  the  door  was  locked  every  time  he  went  out, 
and  might  be  concluded  to  suppose  it  was  locked 
this  time.  The  voices  were  in  conversation  with- 
out for  a  little  longer  and  then  there  was  silence. 
Butterfield  had  gone.  I  ate  my  supper  with 
alacrity  and  appetite,  and  with  a  rising  heart; 
and  that  done  threw  myself  on  the  bed  to  rest 
and  think.  This  deliverance  of  the  supper  was 


THE  PRIVATEERS  139 

always  Butterfield's  last  appearance  for  the  night, 
as  he  was  wont  to  leave  me  to  my  solitude  and 
my  books  until  bed-time.  The  way  was  open 
now  to  me  as  far  as  Rudgwick's  satellite  in  the 
corridor,  and  I  must  plan  now  to  circumvent  him. 
I  cut  one  sheet  into  strong  strips  with  my  knife, 
and  also  tore  a  rag  off  the  blanket;  then  I  tied 
the  strips  together  to  form  a  long  linen  rope  and 
hid  it  under  my  coat.  I  lay  down  on  the  bed 
once  more  and  took  up  a  book.  I  do  not  think 
I  even  was  conscious  of  the  title,  for  my  thoughts 
were  flying  busily  elsewhere.  Outside  the  black 
bat  night  had  settled  on  land  and  sea. 

It  must  have  been  after  eleven  when  I  set 
forth  on  my  venture.  With  the  revolver 
lightly  held  in  my  fingers,  I  stole  softly  to  the 
door,  and  listened.  Nothing  was  audible.  I 
seized  the  handle  and  turned  it  point  by  point, 
almost  imperceptibly  round;  and  when  it  had 
reached  its  limit  of  roll  I  pulled  firmly  in  to- 
wards myself.  The  big  door  gave,  but  it  gave 
with  a  low  jar  that  sounded  loudly  in  the  still- 
ness. I  threw  it  wide  instantly  and  was  in  the 
corridor  at  a  bound. 

The  sentry  was  taken  by  surprise,  and  I  had  a 
grip  of  his  right  arm,  and  my  weapon  was  at  his 
forehead  ere  he  could  recover  himself. 

"I'll  shoot,"  I  breathed  in  his  face,  "if  you 
struggle.  Keep  still." 


i4o  THE  PRIVATEERS 

He  made  no  answer,  but  he  made  no  movement 
to  resist,  and  I  managed  to  find  his  head  and  his 
pistol. 

"Drop  it,"  I  commended,  the  cold  muzzle  of 
my  revolver  pressed  against  his  eyebrow.  The 
weapon  fell  into  my  hand.  I  put  it  in  my  pocket, 
and  drew  out  my  linen  rope  and  the  blanket  rag. 
The  latter  I  used  as  a  gag,  inserting  it  in  his  mouth 
and  tying  it  round  his  head;  and  that  accom- 
plished I  proceeded  to  tie  him  up  with  the  sheet, 
his  arms  behind  his  back  and  his  legs  together  at 
knee  and  ankle.  When  I  had  finished  he  was 
trussed  very  successfully,  and  I  think  I  never 
made  better  use  of  some  sailors'  knots  I  had 
learned  in  my  midshipman  days.  I  had  him 
secure,  at  least  until  someone  should  discover 
him.  And  now  the  third  stage  of  my  adventure 
was  before  me. 

I  took  the  box  of  matches,  and  striking  one 
looked  about  me.  The  corridor  ran  for  some 
distance  and  then  ended  in  a  stone  staircase  to 
the  upper  floor.  This  I  mounted  and  reached  a 
landing  off  which  several  rooms  opened.  The 
room  I  wanted  could  not,  however,  be  just  here, 
seeing  that  this  was  immediately  above  my  cell; 
and  so  I  opened  a  door  at  random,  and  groped  my 
way  in.  A  little  faint  light  from  the  stairs  crept 
through  a  window  and  showed  me  a  bare  chamber 
falling  into  decay,  that  witnessed  to  the  receding 


THE  PRIVATEERS  141 

fortunes  of  that  house.  At  the  further  end  was 
another  door,  and  crossing  the  room  I  turned  the 
handle.  The  door  would  not  budge,  and  I  struck 
a  match  and  examined  it.  A  key  was  in  it,  and 
I  unlocked  it  gently,  opened  it,  and  passed  in. 

The  sound  of  regular  breathing  reached  me, 
acquainting  me  that  this  chamber  at  least  was 
tenanted,  but  I  could  see  nothing  for  the  starlight 
was  occluded  by  heavy  curtains  across  the  window. 

For  a  moment  I  hesitated,  revolving  alterna- 
tives hastily  in  my  mind,  but  I  was  armed,  and 
to  take  chances  is  often  the  wisest  course.  So  I 
struck  another  match  swiftly,  and  the  room 
sprang  at  once  into  relief.  A  cry  came  to  my 
ears,  and  in  the  dimness  of  the  light  I  saw  Miss 
Lovell,  sitting  up  in  her  bed,  her  face  aghast, 
newly  come  out  of  her  sleep. 

"H'st!  It's  I,"  I  whispered.  "Can  you  get 
ready  quickly?  We've  no  time  to  lose,  if  we're 
to  getaway." 

The  girl  had  pluck  and  spirit.  Amidst  all  the 
confusion  of  her  position,  startled,  as  she  must 
have  been,  by  my  appearance,  and  heavy  with 
her  somnolence  she  said,  "Yes,"  at  once. 

There  was  a  sound  from  below,  as  of  feet  on  the 
bare  corridor. 

"They've  discovered.  We  must  go  now,"  I 
said,  and  there  being  no  time  for  ceremony,  I 
went  quickly  forward.  "  We  must  get  away  from 


I42  THE  PRIVATEERS 

here  at  any  risk.  Can  you  wrap  something  round 
you?  I  will  take  anything  you  may  require 
afterwards." 

The  match  went  out,  leaving  us  in  darkness,  but 
in  that  darkness  I  had  her  answer.  I  could  hear 
she  was  afoot  and  she  passed  me  with  a  rustle  of 
her  night-robes. 

"  I'm  ready,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  almost  at 
once,  and  I  lit  a  match.  She  was  standing  a 
little  away,  her  face  pale  in  the  yellow  light,  clad 
in  a  long  black  cloak  that  reached  her  ankles; 
and  her  feet  were  in  slippers. 

"Your  dress!"  I  asked;  and  obeying  the  direc- 
tions of  her  glance,  seized  in  my  arms  a  bundle 
that  was  set  on  a  chair  nearby;  for  that  room 
like  mine  was  bare  of  comforts  and  conveniences. 

The  sound  of  feet  in  the  corridors  was  growing, 
and  with  a  gesture  of  invitation  to  her  I  glided  to 
the  door,  and  went  out.  Someone  was  mounting 
the  stairs  hurriedly.  I  looked  about  me,  and  then 
faint  and  friendly  stars  shone  on  a  door  to  my 
right.  I  opened  it,  and  a  long  gallery  was  before 
me.  Miss  Lovell  and  I  passed  through  as  the 
advancing  feet  reached  the  landing.  But  with 
the  closing  of  the  door  all  light  vanished  and  we 
moved  in  a  profound  darkness.  I  put  out  my 
disengaged  hand  and  took  hers,  and  we  went  for- 
ward in  a  gingerly  tentative  fashion  not  knowing 
what  awaited  us,  or  would  befall  us.  So  black 


THE  PRIVATEERS  143 

was  our  passage  that  we  knew  not  where  we  were 
treading,  and  we  might  easily  have  walked  into 
the  chasm  of  an  open  staircase. 

Presently  I  knocked  against  a  wall,  which 
barred  our  way,  and  leaving  my  hold  of  Miss 
Lovell,  began  to  grope  along  it.  I  discovered 
now  that  a  flight  of  stairs  descended  to  the  floor 
below,  and  these  we  took  cautiously,  thus  gaining 
once  more  the  level  of  my  prison  cell.  But  where 
we  were  in  relation  to  that  I  could  not  guess. 
The  house  was  by  this  time  alive  with  sound,  and 
footsteps  were  audible  everywhere.  It  was  quite 
clear  that  our  escape  had  been  discovered,  but 
as  yet  there  was  no  one  on  our  immediate  track. 
If  I  were  only  able  to  determine  one  of  the  en- 
trances I  felt  I  should  have  no  fears,  what  with 
the  assistance  of  the  night  and  of  my  revolver. 
A  window  gave  light  to  the  stone  passage  in  which 
we  now  found  ourselves,  and  fell  upon  a  doorway 
opposite.  As  I  noticed  this  I  was  aware  of  foot- 
steps hurrying  from  my  right,  and  pushing  the 
door  open,  pulled  Miss  Lovell  in  after  me.  I  had 
not  time  to  close  the  door  before  the  pursuers  were 
in  the  corridor,  and  then  I  dared  not.  I  heard 
Butterfield's  voice. 

"I  guess  they're  below;  we've  been  most  other 
places."  Had  they  been  here  then?  I  glanced 
round,  and  behold  I  had  taken  refuge  in  my  own 
prison!  No  wonder  they  had  not  thought  of 


144  THE  PRIVATEERS 

looking  for  us  there.  The  feet  trailed  off  down- 
stairs and  we  were  left  to  our  luck.  I  ran  to  the 
window  and  looked  out.  This  story  was  about 
twenty  feet  from  the  ground. 

"There's  one  chance  for  us,"  I  said  to  my  com- 
panion. "We  must  go  by  the  windows  on  this 
floor.  Will  you  trust  me?" 

She  clutched  my  arm  impulsively.  "Yes," 
she  breathed.  How  I  blessed  her  for  her  confi- 
dence and  her  sensibility!  Had  she  shown  signs 
of  hysteria  or  fear  we  should  have  been  undone. 
My  window,  of  course,  was  guarded  by  the  iron 
bars,  but  it  was  not  likely  that  all  the  windows 
were  in  the  same  case.  We  ventured  out  cau- 
tiously and  I  explored  the  further  end  of  the 
corridor.  On  the  right  and  left  were  doors,  and 
dismissing  the  thought  of  the  right-hand  room 
as  one  facing  the  front  of  the  house  and  therefore 
undesirable,  I  opened  the  other  door.  It  was  an 
irregular  stone  chamber,  not  quite  so  large  as 
mine,  furnished  with  a  bed,  and  from  my  cursory 
glance  I  judged  it  to  be  occupied  by  one  of  Rudg- 
wick's  men,  possibly  by  Butterfield  himself.  Be- 
yond a  further  door  led  into  a  further  room,  an 
antechamber,  full  of  mouldy  curtains,  worm- 
eaten  carpets  and  broken  boxes.  But  here, 
unattractive  as  the  scene  was,  hope  first  truly 
dawned  upon  me;  for  a  window  lay  open  from 
this  room  into  the  ulterior  night,  and  looking  out, 


THE  PRIVATEERS  145 

I  descried  the  dim  stack  of  a  building  beyond. 
There  was  urgent  need  of  haste,  for  I  knew  not 
when  Butterfield  and  his  gang  might  return 
when  they  found  we  were  not  below;  and  so, 
whispering  an  instruction  to  Miss  Lovell,  I  threw 
the  bundle  I  carried  out  of  the  window,  leaped 
over  the  sill  and  dropped. 

I  fell  on  the  hard  ground,  and  my  feet  were 
stung  and  numb,  but  I  held  out  my  hands. 

"Now,"  I  said.     "Don't  fear." 

It  was,  as  I  said,  no  time  for  scruples  and  un- 
necessary embarrassments,  and  she  knew  it. 
She  crawled  over  the  edge,  hung  a  moment  by 
her  hands  and  then  let  go.  I  caught  her  in  my 
arms,  so  that  her  slippered  feet  barely  touched 
the  earth,  and  I  could  feel  the  soft  lines  of  her 
beautiful  body  through  her  investing  cloak. 
Even  in  that  moment  my  heart  beat  fast  and  I 
would  have  held  her  still.  But  I  let  her  go  at  last 
and  in  my  ears  resounded  the  groaning  of  a  big 
door  opening.  It  was  the  house-door  giving  on 
the  yard  and  rolling  on  creaking  and  neglected 
hinges.  I  pulled  her  into  the  environing  shadows 
of  the  buildings. 

Voices  emerged  to  us,  and  I  drew  closer  among 
the  darkness.  This  was  some  annex  to  the  house 
proper,  and  the  stars  had  no  chance  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood  of  that  mass  of  buildings. 
We  crept  softly  along  the  wall,  anxiously  groping 
for  a  way  of  escape,  until  at  last  it  ceased,  and  I 


146  THE  PRIVATEERS 

guessed  we  must  be  at  the  entrance  to  some  shed. 
So  much  the  better;  they  would  hardly  suspect 
us  of  harbouring  so  near  the  house,  and  at  least 
there  were  probably  opportunities  of  defence 
within.  I  drew  Miss  Lovell  in  and  there  we  waited 
in  silence.  Feet  were  flying  about  the  house, 
and  lights  were  flashing.  Shouts  reached  us  but 
we  could  not  make  them  out;  and  then  momen- 
tarily there  was  silence,  as  the  searchers  streamed 
towards  the  front  of  the  house  on  the  suspicion 
of  a  clue.  I  seized  the  opportunity  to  strike  a 
light,  to  examine  our  refuge.  It  proved  to  be  a 
sort  of  stable,  and  of  ample  size.  A  broken  down 
cart  in  one  corner  together  with  some  decaying 
harness,  with  the  straw  showing,  gave  the  shed 
the  air  of  a  charnel  house  of  dead  things.  A  litter 
of  remnants,  of  things  off-cast,  of  rags,  of  discarded 
utensils,  added  to  the  melancholy  aspect.  But 
in  the  very  centre  was  that  which  made  my  heart 
sing,— -Alston's  motor  tricycle. 

I  ran  towards  it,  almost  forgetful  of  the  hazards 
I  risked,  and  made  a  cursory  inspection  of  it  by 
matchlight.  Nothing  seemed  askew,  save  the 
spokes  of  the  front  wheels  which  were  twisted, 
doubtless  in  the  accident  contrived  for  me.  I 
switched  on  the  current,  and  started  the  engine, 
and  with  an  initiatory  hiss  and  gasp  it  began  to 
beat.  Here  was  our  chance  providentially  hap- 
pened upon.  I  made  Miss  Lovell  mount  in  the 
fore-seat,  and  myself  bestrode  the  bar  behind. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  147 

The  engine  thumped  heavily;  my  last  match 
went  out. 

And  now  from  the  other  side  of  the  houses 
poured  the  voices  in  some  new  excitement.  The 
hunt  was  returning  to  the  rear,  and  doubtless  an 
examination  of  the  out-buildings  would  follow. 
There  was  no  time  to  lose,  and  I  pulled  the  lever. 

The  tri-car  groaned,  and  puffed  out  through 
the  wide  doorway,  just  as  a  figure  came  round  the 
corner  of  the  house.  The  noise  of  the  engine  Was 
unmistakable  and  a  loud  cry  arose  on  the  air. 
The  car,  gathering  power,  swept  along,  passed  the 
figure  like  the  wind,  and,  narrowly  shaving  the 
house  in  the  darkness,  slipped  into  the  drive 
beyond.  Now  many  voices  mingled  in  the  air. 
But  I  kept  the  car  as  straight  as  I  could,  with  her 
nose,  so  to  speak,  to  the  ground.  She  wobbled 
on  and  off  the  road,  now  half  on  the  grass,  with 
one  wheel  in  the  air,  and  now  half  toppled  over 
to  starboard.  Yet  unless  she  came  absolutely 
to  a  wreck,  and  we  were  injured,  I  had  no  fear  of 
the  pursuit.  Presently  the  report  of  a  gun 
sounded  in  the  night,  and  something  rattled  under 
me.  Here  was  evidence  that  this  desperate  party 
would  stick  at  little  to  compass  its  ends,  or  rather 
the  ends  of  its  master.  The  shot  had  been  fired 
low  with  the  hope  probably  of  disabling  the  car; 
for  answer  she  continued  to  bound  along  in  the 
subdued  darkness. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  OSIER  SWAMP 

WE  were  by  this  time,  as  I  estimated,  out  of 
gunshot,  and  so,  fearful  of  an  upset  in  the  darkness 
and  on  that  unknown  track,  I  slackened  speed. 
Miss  Lovell  sat  before  me,  vaguely  determined 
against  the  open  starlight,  but  she  made  no 
sound,  and  preserved  the  stillness  of  a  mouse. 
The  cool  night  air  struck  my  face  pleasantly 
with  a  savour  of  the  sea  in  it,  but  I  was  too  anxious 
to  make  any  vivid  observations.  I  did  not  know 
when  the  grounds  of  the  Chateau  Cabriac  ended, 
nor  what  came  after.  French  roads  were,  I  knew 
as  a  rule  admirable,  but  were  they  so  in  this  remote 
corner  of  Brittany?  However,  I  had  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  trust  to  luck  and  my  own  wits,  and  so 
we  drove  on  at  a  prudent  speed  through  a  tangle 
of  overgrown  trees. 

The  road  presently  took  a  turn,  and  I  saw  dimly 
that  we  had  gone  through  a  gap  in  the  wall, 
probably  the  original  gateway  of  that  ancient 
and  impoverished  domain.  If  so  now  we  were 
upon  a  highway,  and  must  be  content  to  follow 
whither  it  led.  Clear  of  the  park  of  trees  the 

148 


THE  PRIVATEERS  149 

road  lay  more  manifest  under  the  luminous 
heaven,  and  I  increased  the  pace.  The  car, 
humming  cheerfully,  began  to  climb  a  hill.  The 
absence  of  hedgerows  on  each  side  improved  the 
light,  and  I  thought  I  could  see  vaguely  outlined 
and  distant  the  pile  of  the  gloomy  chateau. 
Then  we  entered  a  sunken  lane,  and  it  disappeared. 
We  ascended  and  descended  alternately  for  some 
time,  and  now  the  prospect  of  the  sea  had  sunk 
behind  us,  and  we  seemed  destined  to  go  inland. 
Probably,  I  reflected,  that  was  safest  for  us, 
though  by  this  time,  if  Alston's  telegram  had 
been  obeyed,  the  yawl  would  be  somewhere  in 
the  bay.  However,  whether  I  wished  to  go  to  the 
shore  or  to  the  hills  it  was  all  one;  I  must  obey 
the  road  submissively,  and  so  I  let  the  car  run 
passively  and  without  any  demonstration  of 
volition  on  my  part. 

I  avoided  side  ways  as  likely  to  prove  illusive, 
and  kept  to  what  I  conceived  to  be  the  main  road. 
Yet  I  may  not  have  succeeded  in  this  aim,  owing 
to  the  obscurity  in  which  we  were  wrapped.  All 
I  know  is  that  we  had  been  going  some  twenty 
minutes  when  a  stack  of  buildings  on  my  left 
which  had  emerged  blackly  into  view,  took  my 
eye  suddenly  and  stood  forth  revealed  as  the 
chateau  itself.  We  had  taken  a  complete  circle. 
Coming  to  this  conclusion  I  did  not  hesitate  at 
the  next  turning  to  leave  the  road,  and  follow  a 


150  THE  PRIVATEERS 

by-way,  which  curved  along  exiguously  for  some 
time,  and  passed  full  in  view  of  the  chateau. 
And  now  though  we  were  not  discernible  for  any 
distance  it  began  to  fret  me  that  we  were  audible. 
The  rhythmic  beat  of  the  engine  pulsed  out  in 
the  night,  not  loudly,  but  unmistakable  for  any- 
thing but  what  it  was.  I  began  to  get  anxious, 
for  I  could  see  a  light  flashing  across  a  field,  and 
still  the  engine  throbbed  and  sobbed  through  the 
darkness.  On  one  side  of  us  lay  what  appeared 
to  be  an  open  moor;  on  the  other  meadows,  and 
across  those  meadows  a  light  dawned ;  while  along 
the  road  in  front  of  us  came  another.  I  recalled 
my  own  "accident;"  and  I  was  in  no  humour  for 
another  with  that  unscrupulous  gang  in  the  offing; 
and  so  I  deliberately  turned  the  car  off  the  road 
and  out  upon  the  empty  rugged  heath. 

She  moved  gallantly,  jerking  and  kicking  on 
the  rude  track,  but,  alas,  her  voice  could  still  be 
heard,  and  I  had  no  doubt  that  the  pursuit,  which 
had  been  thus  picked  up  again,  had  been  directed 
to  the  moor.  It  was  an  amazingly  discomfort- 
able  ride,  across  rough  and  broken  ground,  over 
boulders,  through  furze  and  bracken,  and  in  the 
trough  of  ancient  ruts.  And  soon  we  passed  out 
of  the  open  into  a  region  of  pines  through  which 
we  careered  blindly,  now  unable  to  tell  the  track 
from  the  uncertain  heath.  Bad  as  the  track  was 
it  was  yet  some  sort  of  guide,  and  now  it  had  van- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  151 

ished.  It  was  at  this  period  that  I  began  to  de- 
spair for  the  first  time  of  our  breaking  away  from 
that  accursed  chateau.  For  our  speed  had 
dwindled  greatly,  so  that  the  enemy  could  not  be 
far  away,  and  they  were  persistently  advertised 
of  our  whereabouts  by  the  noise  of  the  engine.  I 
was  divided  in  my  mind  as  to  our  best  course 
when  of  a  sudden  the  car  tripped,  toppled  and 
rolled  over  on  itself  and  us  down  a  steep  slope. 

Luckily  the  fall  was  broken  by  sand  and  furze, 
and  the  car,  which  had  been  rocking  and  crawling, 
had  only  just  touched  my  leg.  Otherwise  we 
might  have  been  seriously  injured.  As  it  was  I 
rose  quickly,  extricating  myself,  and  hastened  to 
Miss  Lovell.  She  had  been  thrown  clear  of  the 
car,  but  her  head  had  come  in  contact  with  the 
root  of  a  gorse-bush  and  she  was  dazed.  I  sat  her 
up  and  attended  to  her,  heard  her  long  little  sigh, 
and  was  aware  she  had  come  to  herself ;  and  then 
the  sound  of  hoofs  padded  in  my  ears.  I  looked 
up  from  the  hollow  into  which  we  had  fallen,  and 
the  starlight  gleamed  on  Butterfield  astride  a 
mule,  to  which  he  was  clinging  with  both  hands. 
I  could  have  put  a  pistol  shot  into  him  or  his 
mount  as  it  laboured  by,  and  I  would  have  done 
so  if  there  had  been  any  object  in  it.  It  was  war 
between  us ;  and  I  had  no  scruple  in  war.  But  it 
was  wiser  to  keep  quiet  and  so  I  let  him  go  and 
devoted  myself  once  again  to  Miss  Lovell. 


152  THE  PRIVATEERS 

She  declared  she  was  all  right  now,  and  was  fit 
to  travel,  asking  eagerly  whither  we  were  bound. 
If  I  had  only  known  myself  I  might  have  answered 
her  with  better  assurance.  As  it  was  I  feigned 
confidence  as  to  our  destination,  telling  her  that 
we  were  set  for  the  shore,  and  that  Alston  was 
no  doubt  off  that  coast  with  a  yacht. 

"Mr.  Alston!"  she  said,  tremulously,  and 
paused ;  and  then :  "  Did  he  send  you  to  find  me? " 

I  denied  this,  for  to  my  own  mind  I  would  not 
admit  that  Alston  was  responsible  for  my  position 
in  that  strange  story.  The  boat  was  mine,  and 
mine  was  the  intention.  I  would  have  sailed  on 
the  mission  of  rescue  without  Alston,  in  despite  of 
Alston. 

"What  made  you  come?"  she  asked,  wistfully. 

"  I  found  you  were  gone ;  you  were  said  to  have 
been  abducted  and — and — you  were  my  country- 
woman," I  ended  vaguely. 

She  was  silent.  "  I  don't  understand  anything," 
she  said.  "I  seem  to  be  the  shuttlecock  of — of 
fortune.  It  was  very  generous  of  you  to  come  to 
rescue  me — unless — "  she  paused. 

"Unless  what?"  I  asked,  curiously. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know, "  she  answered  sadly.  "  I'm 
all  at  sea.  Why  should  I  be  kidnapped  like  this 
and  treated  so  barbarously,  as  if  it  were  the  middle 
ages?  Think  of  it,  Mr.  Kerslake.  I  met  you 
only  a  week  ago  and  this  man,  Rudgwick,  less 


THE  PRIVATEERS  153 

than  that,  and  here  you  are  both  mixed  up — Oh, 
I  can't  understand,"  she  broke  off  piteously. 

I  thought  I  saw,  and  it  went  to  my  heart.  Yet 
after  all  why  should  she  not  be  suspicious,  who 
had  been  the  rough  sport  of  gamblers?  She 
feared  that  I  too  who  had  come  into  her  life  almost 
simultaneously  with  Rudgwick  was  only  taking 
a  hand  in  the  game  with  him.  I  could  not  be 
angry  with  her,  but  I  was  deeply  mortified. 

"  I  want  you  to  understand  one  thing  only,"  I 
said  earnestly,  "and  that  is  that  I  came  to  save 
you.  I  don't  know  anything  more  than  you  do, 
Miss  Lovell.  I  strayed  into  the  strange  events  of 
the  last  week.  Accident  (perhaps  it  was  more 
than  accident)  brought  me  into  them." 

"Why  did  you  follow  me  here?"  she  asked 
quickly. 

I  dared  not  tell  her  the  truth  that  was  on  my 
tongue,  that  I  loved  her.  "  Who  ever  loved  that 
loved  not  at  first  sight?"  But  it  was  unfair  if 
not  to  Alston,  then  to  her,  at  least  just  then. 

"  I  hope  I  should  always  come  to  the  help  of  a 
woman  in  distress,"  I  said. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said  simply,  but  impulsively. 
"Oh  thank  you!" 

But  there  was  no  time  to  discuss  or  explain 
there,  for  at  any  moment  we  might  be  discovered. 
The  very  silence  of  the  car  might  betray  us.  It 
had  vanished  in  the  moor,  and  they  would  realise 


154  THE  PRIVATEERS 

that  we  had  stopped  and  would  be  encouraged  in 
the  hunt.  We  had  fallen  into  a  cleft  in  the 
heath,  some  ten  feet  deep,  grown  with  gorse  and 
bracken,  and  as  this  natural  gully  sloped  away 
it  seemed  wise  to  follow  its  course  downwards. 
Consequently  we  resumed  our  flight,  as  silently  as 
might  be,  stumbling  in  the  darkness  at  times  in 
the  rugged  path.  After  we  had  been  walking 
for  half  an  hour  my  companion  came  to  a  halt. 

"  Must  we — is  it  much  farther?"  she  asked. 

I  saw  she  was  worn  out  and  was  struck  with 
remorse. 

"No,"  I  said,  after  a  moment's  reflection. 
"  I  think  we  can  find  a  hiding  place  now. " 

The  light  of  the  promised  dawn  was  already 
suffusing  the  sky,  and  we  could  see  more  clearly. 
My  eyes  went  round  in  search  of  a  refuge. 

"  I  would  have  gone  on  if — I  don't  think — you 
see,"  she  said  plaintively,  "Fve_only  got  slippers 
on." 

I  remembered  now.     How  cruel  I  had  been! 

"Poor  child!"  I  said.  "You  shall  rest,"  and 
I  led  the  way  towards  a  mass  of  furze.  With  the 
aid  of  a  stick  I  succeeded  in  making  a  breach  in 
this,  and  within  was  an  ample  space  dominated 
by  the  withered  spines  and  thorns  of  the  lower 
branches. 

But  the  difficulty  was  not  insuperable,  and 
with  the  aid  of  plenty  of  bracken  I  made  the  hoi- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  155 

low  fairly  comfortable.  That  done  I  introduced 
her  to  it,  and  persuaded  her  to  lie  down  and  sleep. 
She  obeyed  me  like  a  child,  and,  closing  the  en- 
trance to  this  improvised  dwelling,  I  seated  myself 
on  the  fern  to  keep  watch  against  the  coming  of 
the  dawn. 

"Mr.  Kerslake,"  a  small  voice  interrupted  me. 

I  was  alert  in  a  moment.  Was  it  not  com- 
fortable? Oh,  yes,  it  was  quite  snug,  but  there 
was  something — 

"  Would  you — would  you  mind  letting  me  have 
what  you  brought,"  she  said. 

"  What  I ' '  suddenly  it  came  home  to  me. 

I  had  snatched  up  her  dress  and  carried  it,  all  the 
way  for  her,  and  now  it  was  gone.  "I'm  so 
sorry,"  I  stammered.  "It  was  tied  on  to  the 
car.  I  will  go  back  and  get  it." 

"Oh,"  she  said  in  dismay. 

"  I  will  go  back, "  I  said,  but  her  voice  came  to 
me  troubled  but  firm. 

"No,  you  couldn't.  It  was  not  your  fault. 
You  had  other  things  to  think  of.  Please  don't 
think  of  it.  I  shall  be  all  right.  Thank  you  so 
much  for  all  your  kindness,"  and  the  furze 
rustled  and  was  still. 

It  was  an  hour  later,  when  the  dawn  was  on 
the  hills,  that  I  parted  the  bushes  and  looked  in. 
She  lay  asleep,  curled  up  among  the  great  fronds 
of  the  bracken,  her  lips  parted  slightly,  and  the 


156  THE  PRIVATEERS 

thin  coat  to  her  ankles  above  the  slippered  foot. 
It  was  that  hour  at  which  human  life  is  at  its 
lowest,  when  dreams  come,  and  the  chill  of  the 
night  strikes  deep.  I  took  off  my  coat  and  laid 
it  softly  over  her  body,  and  when  I  had  resumed 
my  post  as  sentry,  I  declare  that  the  edge  of  that 
nocturnal  air,  so  far  from  being  chill  to  me, 
warmed  me  like  wine.  For  my  thoughts  were  like 
fire,  and  under  my  coat  rose  and  fell  the  bosom 
of  my  love. 

The  sun  called  us  over  the  hills,  and  Sylvia 
Lovell  stirred  in  her  thorny  bower  about  four  of 
the  clock.  She  parted  the  furze  and  came  for- 
ward into  a  world  of  dew  and  sunshine. 

"You  gave  me  your  coat,"  she  burst  forth 
precipitately.  "You  mustn't." 

And  then,  as  she  met  my  eye  her  girlish  im- 
petuosity gave  way  to  embarrassment;  she  col- 
oured and  drew  back. 

"Did  you  sleep  soundly?"  I  asked. 

"I  feel  stiff,"  she  said  with  a  little  smile. 

"  You  see,  however  deeply  covered,  the  earth 
does  not  give  way,"  I  explained.  "It  is  a  re- 
luctant bed." 

I  looked  beyond  her  across  the  blue-green  firs, 
to  where  the  sea  was  sparkling  in  the  bay,  and 
there  was  the  black  schooner.  Rudgwick  was 
back  then,  and  back  in  time  to  hear  of  our  escape. 
I  wondered  with  a  grim  satisfaction  how  he  would 


THE  PRIVATEERS  157 

take  it ;  if  I  had  properly  interpreted  him,  hardly, 
and  in  a  most  businesslike  way.  It  was  time  we 
were  gone. 

The  hollow  in  the  moor  led  away  in  a  gentle 
slope  through  broken  land  towards  the  sea,  and 
for  the  sake  of  better  security  we  held  to  that 
cover.  The  sun  was  warm,  and  the  dew  was 
drying  on  the  herbage,  yet  we  went  in  a  pleasant 
wetness  which  was  refreshing  to  the  imagination; 
for  the  new  day  had  a  threat  of  great  heat  in  it. 
After  the  exertions  of  the  night,  I  will  confess 
that  I  felt  very  hungry,  but  I  saw  no  prospect 
of  breakfast,  and  indeed  was  but  vague  in  my 
plans.  I  was  for  the  sea  at  any  rate,  and  doubt- 
less we  should  come  upon  either  village  or  cottage 
where  we  might  get  food  and  shelter  until  I  got 
a  little  deeper  glance  into  the  future. 

The  track  we  were  following  gradually  stole 
down  the  heights  and  became  a  little  sandy  path 
betwixt  two  rises ;  a  little  further  we  were  upon  a 
green  flat  through  which  a  stream  purled.  We  were 
now  deep  in  a  valley,  and  had  lost  sight  of  the 
sea;  but  clearly  this  brook  would  carry  us  to  it, 
and  so  we  made  our  way  along  the  bank  com- 
fortably enough.  Presently,  however,  our  con- 
fidence was  rudely  broken,  for  some  distance  away 
on  the  slope  to  our  left  I  caught  sight  of  a  mounted 
figure,  and  upon  the  further  side  of  the  little  valley 
another.  As  I  made  this  discovery  the  riders 


158  THE  PRIVATEERS 

increased  their  speed,  and  I  knew  that  our  pack 
of  hounds  had  not  yet  given  up  the  chase.  Here 
alas,  the  scent  was  hot. 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  cry  behind  us, 
and  I  turned  only  to  make  out  scarcely  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away  a  third  pursuer.  There  was  no 
time  to  spare;  we  were  taken  on  each  flank  and 
in  our  rear,  and  only  one  direction  remained  to 
us.  We  must  go  forward.  If  it  came  to  the 
worst  I  had  my  revolver,  but  I  was  unwilling  to 
make  use  of  that,  outrageous  as  the  conduct  of 
this  unscrupulous  gang  had  been.  Firearms 
would  make  trouble  for  us,  nor  did  I  credit  Rudg- 
wick  with  a  desire  to  bring  bloodshed  into  his 
piratical  game.  I  took  Miss  Lovell  by  the  arm. 

"Can  you  go  faster?"  I  asked.  "They  are  on 
our  trail  again. 

"Yes,  yes,"  she  cried,  with  one  scared  glance 
behind,  and  she  began  to  run. 

She  ran  like  a  girl,  hampered  by  her  cloak,  and 
the  way  was  uneven.  Here  and  there  the  stream 
spread  out  into  little  marshes  through  which  we 
ploughed  ankle  deep  in  mud  and  water,  and  occa- 
sionally was  the  bole  of  a  fallen  tree  to  surmount, 
or  some  other  obstacle  to  compass.  And  all  the 
time  our  pack  was  gaining  on  us. 

The  stream  slipped  round  a  bend  in  the  widen- 
ing valley,  as  if  here  it  was  in  flight  like  ourselves, 
and  would  escape  into  the  sea;  but  when  we 


THE  PRIVATEERS  159 

reached  the  corner  we  saw  not  the  sea  before  us, 
but  a  forest  of  reeds  and  red  osiers,  into  which 
the  water  disappeared.  Behind  us  pressed  the 
three  men,  but  one  was  in  difficulties  in  a  boggy 
part  of  the  valley,  into  which  his  mule  had  sunk 
above  the  hocks.  I  could  now  recognise  Butter- 
field  with  his  uncomfortable  seat  on  his  mule, 
and  with  him  an  unknown  man,  who  struck  and 
lashed  his  animal  ruthlessly.  What  lay  before 
us  I  could  not  guess,  indeed  I  had  hardly  time 
to  consider.  I  acted  almost  on  the  impulse,  and, 
taking  a  firm  hold  of  my  companion,  I  ran  head- 
long into  the  osiers. 

The  ground  oozed  with  slush,  but  I  limped  on, 
dragging  heavy  feet  out  of  the  mud,  and  support- 
ing the  girl,  until  we  must  have  gone  some  thirty 
yards  into  the  osiers,  and  then  I  must  perforce 
rest,  being  breathless.  I  listened,  but  I  could 
not  hear  anything.  One  thing  was  certain, — 
that  the  pursuit  could  not  be  carried  into  that 
marish  place  on  mules.  Whoever  ventured  here 
must  venture  afoot.  We  stood  in  water  two  feet 
deep,  and  the  slime  below  it  sucked  voraciously 
at  us,  as  though  it  would  drag  us  bodily  into  the 
morass. 

"Can  you  go  a  little  farther?"  I  whispered. 
"We  must  reach  firmer  ground." 

She  nodded,  for  her  breath  was  out,  and,  push- 
ing the  osiers  aside,  I  resumed  our  progress.  In 


160  THE  PRIVATEERS 

this  way  we  penetrated  a  hundred  yards  or  more 
without  finding  ourselves  free  of  the  marsh.  But 
here  there  were  now  patches  of  firm  earth,  and 
open  spaces.  The  osier  bed,  as  I  conjectured, 
occupied  the  spreading  fan  which  marked  the 
issue  of  that  stream  upon  the  shore.  If  therefore 
we  pushed  on  we  should  reach  the  sea,  which 
could  not  be  more  than  a  mile  away.  But  ere 
we  did  so  food  and  rest  were  necessities,  and  I 
saw  no  chance  of  securing  the  former.  The  latter 
we  took  when  we  felt  comparatively  safe,  and 
occupied  the  time  in  endeavouring  to  scrape  some 
of  the  thick  coating  of  mud  from  our  garments. 

"Exhausted?"   I  asked. 

"A — a  little,"  she  answered  with  a  deprecating 
smile,  and  added  bravely,  "  I'm  rather  hungry. " 

I  told  her  we  should  get  our  dejeuner  presently, 
and  we  passed  some  poor  but  comforting  jests 
about  early  rolls  and  coffee. 

"Was  it — was  it  that  man  Rudgwick?"  she 
asked  next. 

"No,"  said  I.  "I  recognised  only  Butterfield, 
but  I  have  no  doubt  that  Rudgwick  has  inspired 
the  hunt.  His  schooner  came  into  the  bay  during 
the  night,  and  he  must  know  of  our  escape." 

"Oh,  why  does  he  want  me?"  she  cried  tear- 
fully. 

I  put  my  hand  on  hers.  "Don't  bother  your 
head  with  problems  and  questions.  You're  being 


THE  PRIVATEERS  161 

used  as  a  pawn  in  a  game  to  checkmate  Mr.  Alston. 
Don't  let  anything  worry  you,  except  how  to  get 
away;  and  don't  let  that  worry  you  either,  for 
I'll  look  after  that." 

I  spoke  lightly,  and  even  jocularly,  and  I  could 
see  that  I  had  reassured  her.  The  poor  girl  was 
terribly  bewildered  by  the  transactions  of  the 
last  week,  and  I  did  not  wonder  that  they  should 
have  appeared  to  her  as  a  nightmare  in  which 
she  moved. 

As  we  talked  I  heard  a  sound  which  seemed  to 
bespeak  the  approach  of  a  body  through  the 
osiers.  We  were  on  dry  ground,  well-hidden  by 
an  environing  circle  of  reeds,  and  I  held  up  my 
hand  to  enjoin  silence.  The  noise  drew  nearer, 
and  now  was  unmistakable,  nearer  still,  and  we 
caught  our  breath.  Would  it  blunder  our  way? 
If  so,  a  conflict  seemed  inevitable.  I  fingered 
the  weapon  in  my  pocket.  .No,  the  noise  seemed 
to  be  going  round  us,  as  it  were  the  clumsy 
traffic  of  an  animal  that  had  wandered  into  the 
osier  forest.  Branches  cracked,  and  then  there 
was  silence. 

We  said  no  word  to  each  other,  but  waited. 
The  noise  had  entirely  ceased,  and  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  person  or  animal  had  gone 
off  into  the  distance.  We  resumed  our  way  as 
soon  as  we  had  recovered,  and  pushed  along  the 
firmer  ground  which  we  had  reached  with  more 


162  THE  PRIVATEERS 

comfort.  I  was  in  front  making  the  path  easier 
for  Miss  Lovell,  and,  as  I  turned  to  address  her 
with  some  word  of  caution,  I  was  aware  of  a  man 
a  dozen  paces  away.  He  was  standing  in  the 
reeds,  and  an  open  space  of  slime  separated  us. 
I  put  my  hand  instinctively  into  my  pocket,  and 
a  rough  voice  broke  out: 

"I've  got  a  sight  on  you." 

His  swarthy  face  was  illumined  with  a  grin. 
Beyond  question  here  was  one  of  Rudgwick's 
pirates,  and  he  had  me  at  his  mercy.  Resistance 
would  do  no  good,  with  that  long  and  level  re- 
volver at  my  head. 

"I  reckon  marshes  don't  tell  no  tales,"  any 
more'n  the  dead, "  he  chuckled.  "  They  wouldn't 
find  nothing  here  till  the  day  o'  judgment,  hey?" 

"What  do  you  want?"  I  asked  sharply. 

"Oh,  you're  innocent,  boss,  ain't  you?"  said 
the  ruffian  with  a  leer.  "  What  do  I  want  ?  Why 
I  take  it  that  bit  of  molasses  by  your  side's  what 
I  want.  I  don't  take  no  stock  in  you,  but  I  got 
to." 

"Very  well,"  said  I  coolly.  "Come  over  and 
take  us." 

"Precisely,"  he  returned  with  a  wink.  "I 
like  the  look  of  that  place  of  yourn  better'n 
mine. " 

As  he  spoke  he  pushed  aside  the  reeds,  with 
the  revolver  at  cock,  and  edged  round  towards 


THE  PRIVATEERS  163 

the  path  along  the  margin  of  the  pool  of  slime. 
Sylvia  stood  by  my  side,  and  I  felt  her  tremble; 
she  had  seized  my  arm,  and  her  gaze  was  upon 
the  swarthy  thickset  scoundrel  who  crept  delib- 
erately closer  to  us.  He  was  within  six  feet  now, 
but  the  bog  of  ooze  parted  us  still. 

"Seems  to  me,  mister,  you  take  it  with  your 
hair  oiled,"  said  the  fellow  with  his  malevolent 
grin,  and  then,  as  if  suddenly  perturbed  in  mind, 
he  stopped  and  frowned.  "  Now,  I  wonder  what 
the  hell's  your  game,"  he  remarked. 

I  gave  him  no  answer,  but  my  arm  was  about 
Sylvia  Lovell,  and  I  was  hardly  conscious  of  the 
fact;  nor  I  think,  was  she. 

"  I  kin  draw  a  bead  on  you, "  he  observed  with 
a  scowl,  and  his  finger  was  on  his  trigger. 

Miss  Lovell  gave  a  little  hysterical  cry,  and 
bringing  her  face  on  my  breast,  clung  to  me. 
A  grin  dissolved  his  scowl.  "Right,"  he  said. 
"Thar's  no  painter  there,  I  reckon,  only  a  tame 
cat,"  and  he  began  once  more  to  sidle  along. 
The  girl's  weight  was  upon  me;  she  sobbed  on 
my  heart,  out-worn  by  the  stress  and  dangers  of 
the  night.  My  free  hand  pressed  my  pinfire 
revolver.  He  had  reminded  me:  the  marshes 
were  as  secret  as  the  grave. 

"Hands  up,  by  God!"  he  thundered,  with  his 
eyes  on  my  pocket.  "Hands  up,  or " 

Ere  he  could  finish  his  foot  slipped  on  the 


164  THE  PRIVATEERS 

rough  and  slithering  earth,  and  after  an  ineffect- 
ual attempt  to  recover  his  balance  he  fell  out- 
wards headlong  into  the  slime,  while  the  report 
of  his  revolver  rang  out  sharply.  The  bog  opened 
its  ravening  maw  and  closed  over  him. 

Sylvia  hung  desperately  about  my  neck,  and 
even  if  I  had  desired  to  assist  the  ruffian  I  should 
have  been  too  late.  He  sank  like  a  stone,  and 
the  slime  sucked  and  rocked  above  his  body,  as 
though  it  licked  its  lips  and  awaited  the  next 
victim.  I  shuddered  and  turned  away,  the  girl 
still  in  my  arms.  The  marsh  would  tell  no  tales. 
He  had  spoken  his  own  epitaph. 

When  the  momentary  qualm  was  over  I  turned 
my  thoughts  to  our  own  plight,  for  the  horror  of 
that  sudden  tragedy  had  made  me  sick  with  fear. 
Here  we  were  in  the  centre  of  a  terrible  marsh* 
with  death  on  all  sides,  and  with  no  knowledge 
of  the  proper  direction  to  take,  nor  any  certainty 
indeed  that  there  was  a  proper  direction.  Miss 
Lovell  came  to  herself  with  a  sigh. 

"Where  is  he?"  she  asked  in  frightened  tones. 

"He  has  gone,  child,"  I  said.  "You  will  not 
be  troubled  by  him  more." 

"Did  you  shoot  him?"  she  asked  fearfully. 

I  shook  my  head.  I  shrank  from  explaining. 
Apart  from  the  horrid  fact  of  that  ugly  death 
the  newly  realised  peril  of  our  situation  would 
appal  her. 


'After  &n  ineffectual  attempt  to  recover  his  balance,  he  fell  headlong 
into  the  slime  " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  165 

"He  is  gone,"  I  repeated. 

"  But — but  I  heard  a  shot, "  she  said  tragically. 

I  displayed  myself  with  a  gesture,  as  it  were, 
smilingly  offering  myself  for  examination. 

"He  missed,  and  is  gone." 

"  Oh ! "  she  shuddered.  "  Let  us  go, "  she  said  ; 
and  nothing  loath  I  led  the  way  deeper  into  that 
osier  wilderness. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  AFFRAY  ON  THE  SANDS 

ALTHOUGH  I  was  attended  by  anxious  fears  as 
to  the  outcome  of  our  journey,  it  seemed  clear  to 
me  that  in  a  little  we  had  accidentally  hit  upon 
a  pathway.  It  was  a  narrow  ridge  of  earth  grown 
with  reeds  and  withies,  somewhat  above  the  ele- 
vation of  the  water,  and  winding  tortuously — I 
trusted  for  firm  ground.  No  doubt  this  was  a 
road  through  the  swamp  which  was  used  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  sparsely  peopled  region.  There 
were  marks  of  the  passage  of  feet,  although  from 
the  look  of  it  few  travellers  went  that  way.  How- 
ever, the  mere  fact  that  we  were  upon  a  sort  of 
highway  through  the  marsh  inspirited  me. 

It  was  now  well  on  in  the  morning,  and  we  had 
had  no  food.  At  the  rate  we  were  making  it  did 
not  seem  as  if  we  should  break  our  fast  for  some 
hours,  for  when  once  we  were  clear  of  the  marsh 
we  had  no  assurance  that  we  should  be  near  any 
human  habitation.  The  sea  undoubtedly  lay  be- 
fore us  somewhere,  and  if  we  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  shore  we  should  be  in  the  way  to  strike  a 
village.  At  times  it  became  difficult  to  push 

166 


THE  PRIVATEERS  167 

through  the  vegetation,  and  we  must  have  been 
afoot  quite  half  an  hour  before  we  were  surprised 
by  the  sudden  disappearance  of  osiers,  and  reeds. 
The  path  conducted  us  out  upon  a  clearing  of 
moss  and  grass,  and  in  the  centre  was  a  wooden 
hut,  that  looked  out  upon  a  tiny  sheet  of 
water. 

I  had  not  expected  to  find  human  life  in  that 
desolate  and  forbidding  spot,  but  the  explanation 
obtruded  itself  from  the  bundles  of  withies  that 
lay  about.  It  was  evidently  the  hut  of  an  osier- 
cutter,  an  assumption  which  was  borne  out  when 
we  reached  the  door.  This  stood  open  to  the 
miniature  lake  with  its  fringing  forest  of  reeds, 
and  the  blue  sky  sparkled  in  the  water.  Alto- 
gether the  place  took  on  a  cheerful  aspect  despite 
its  loneliness  and  remoteness,  which  was  incon- 
gruous with  the  experiences  through  which  we 
had  just  gone.  Our  association  with  the  marsh 
was  one  of  tragedy,  of  fear;  but  this  oasis  wore 
a  bright  face  and  Nature  actually  smiled. 

A  girl's  face  stared  at  us  from  the  interior  of 
the  hut,  with  mingling  alarm  and  curiosity;  and 
I  went  up  to  the  entrance,  and  saluted  her.  She 
dropped  the  sewing  she  held  and  shook  her  head. 
She  spoke  only  Breton,  I  supposed,  and  I  had 
only  French.  I  made  certain  signs  which  en- 
deavoured to  acquaint  her  with  our  condition  and 
plight,  emphasising  more  particularly  our  hunger. 


i68  THE  PRIVATEERS 

This  she  seemed  to  understand,  nodded  cheer- 
fully, and,  with  a  look  of  interest  at  Miss  Lovell, 
got  off  her  chair.  It  was  then  I  perceived  that 
she  was  crippled,  for  she  caught  up  a  crutch 
briskly  and  hobbled  to  the  fire.  In  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  we  were  feasting  on  good  bread,  eggs 
and  the  remains  of  boiled  poulet,  and  I  think  I 
never  ate  with  better  appetite  in  my  life.  My 
companion  also  did  justice  to  the  food,  and  seemed 
to  recover  something  of  her  spirit  with  the  meal. 
The  girl  sat,  crutch  to  hand,  and  watched  us 
with  absorbed  interest,  but  particularly  was  she 
engrossed  with  Miss  Lovell,  whom  she  surveyed 
with  frank  curiosity  not  a  little  disconcerting  in 
the  circumstances.  I  found  she  was  not  wholly 
deaf  to  French,  but  was  conversant  with  a  few 
words,  so  that  by  the  aid  of  this  common  ground 
and  by  dint  of  signs  I  secured  such  information 
as  I  needed.  Her  grandfather  lived  here,  but 
was  absent  cutting  osiers,  and  would  not  return 
till  evening.  She  lived  alone  with  him,  and  had 
done  so  since  childhood  and  her  mother's  death. 
Apparently  she  saw  no  strangeness  in  it,  and  was 
not  alarmed  by  the  solitude,  which  she  accepted 
as  a  matter  of  course.  There  was  a  way  across 
the  marsh  to  the  meadows  by  which  we  had  ar- 
rived; and  a  path  led  also  from  this  clearing  to 
the  sea-shore.  But  that  her  grandfather  knew, 
and  he  would  be  able  to  conduct  us.  As  for 


THE  PRIVATEERS  169 

herself — she  glanced  at  her  leg  and  a  slight  colour 
emerged  in  her  face. 

It  seemed  then  that  we  were  destined  to  re- 
main there,  prisoners  of  the  marsh,  until  nightfall, 
and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  put  a  good 
face  on  the  situation.  I  will  confess  I  was  de- 
voured by  impatience,  for  I  knew  not  what  delay 
might  bring  forth.  I  wondered  if  it  would  be 
possible  to  follow  the  path  to  the  shore  without 
guidance,  but  the  Breton  girl  shook  her  head, 
indicating  that  it  was  full  of  dangers.  I  went 
out  to  explore,  and  spent  some  time  questing  for 
the  outlet.  When  I  returned  the  door  was  shut, 
and  I  rapped  on  it  before  entering.  At  the  table 
a  girl  faced  me,  in  the  Breton  costume,  her  hair 
in  a  blue  coif,  and  a  blue  neckerchief  about  her 
bosom.  To  my  astonishment  I  recognised  Miss 
Lovell,  who  greeted  me  with  a  blushing  smile. 
She  stood  up  in  her  short  skirts,  and  she  was 
Breton  to  the  very  clogs  upon  her  feet.  A  giggle 
came  from  the  cripple,  and  she  came  out  of  the 
corner  in  which  she  had  been  harbouring.  I  saw 
what  had  happened.  My  charge  had  adroitly 
seized  the  opportunity  of  my  absence  to  change 
her  dress.  She  had  the  air  of  awaiting  my  ap- 
proval and  I  gave  it  to  the  full. 

"You  are  like  one  to  the  habit  born,"  I  told 
her,  and  made  her  turn  so  that  no  detail  of  the 
picturesque  costume  should  escape  my  notice. 


i;o  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"She  is  very  kind,  Mr.  Kerslake,  and  oh  so 
quick  to  understand,"  she  explained.  "She 
seemed  to  guess  at  once  that  we  were  being  pur- 
sued. And,"  she  paused,  exhibiting  some  em- 
barrassment. "  Will  you — would  you — I  have  no 
money  with  me.  Could  you  lend  me  something 
to  pay  her  with?" 

It  was  delightful  to  feel  her  dependent  on  me, 
and  to  realise  that  she  came  to  me  so  confidently. 
That  precious  intimacy  thrilled  me  through  and 
through.  The  girl  seemed  astonished  at  what  I 
gave  her,  and  laughed  her  pleasure.  She  put  her 
head  to  one  side,  and  scrutinised  Miss  Lovell 
critically.  Then  she  nodded,  and  put  one  hand 
on  her  own  breast  and  one  on  Miss  Lo veil's. 
Evidently  she  wished  to  approve  the  resemblance 
in  the  costumes. 

But  for  all  I  was  glad  that  my  companion 
should  have  a  rest,  the  interruption  of  our  flight 
irked  me.  It  wanted  many  hours  to  the  return 
of  the  grandfather,  and  I  could  not  guess  what 
was  happening  to  the  other  principals  in  this 
adventure.  Where  was  Alston?  And  was  Rudg- 
wick  idle? 

I  succeeded  in  tracing  the  trail  some  distance 
through  the  marsh,  but  found  myself  at  a  loss 
when  it  branched,  and  reluctantly  returned  to 
the  clearing.  When  I  arrived  I  caught  the  sound 
of  voices,  one  of  which  was  clearly  a  man's :  and 


THE  PRIVATEERS  171 

so  instead  of  going  straight  to  the  hut  I  wandered 
round  to  the  back,  and  glanced  in  at  a  window. 
What  I  saw  was  a  short  dark  lean  man  in  gestic- 
ulation with  the  Breton  girl.  The  savour  of  the 
sea  clung  about  him,  and  I  could  have  sworn  he 
was  a  Dago;  of  a  certainty  he  was  an  emissary 
from  Rudgwick  or  Butterfield.  I  kept  in  hiding 
and  awaited  developments,  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. It  was  at  once  obvious  that  the  girl  and 
he  were  not  making  any  progress  in  their  lingual 
communication.  He  spoke  what  seemed  to  be 
Italian,  and  dropped  occasionally  into  broken 
English,  which  fact  added  to  my  conviction,  as  to 
his  identity.  Sylvia  Lovell  was  in  a  chair  near- 
by, and  it  pleased  my  heart  to  see  how  she  took 
this  incursion,  she  who  must  have  guessed  at  the 
character  of  the  visitor.  She  had  the  Breton 
girl's  sewing  in  her  hands,  and  made  an  admir- 
able feint  of  working  on  it,  now  and  then  casting 
an  interested  glance  at  the  spy. 

His  patience  at  last  appeared  to  have  reached 
its  end,  or  he  had  determined  on  bold  courses, 
for  he  stepped  forward  and  touched  Miss  Lovell 
roughly  on  the  arm.  She  rose  and  indignantly 
uttered  a  few  sentences,  and  they  were  nothing 
but  gibberish.  With  her  brisk  intelligence  and 
courage  she  was  playing  the  part  of  Breton. 

The  man  had  evidently  doubts,  for  he  stepped 
back,  and  I  heard  his  broken  English. 


i;2  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Mees,  escape — runaway  from  school." 

Sylvia  shook  her  head,  glanced  at  the  Breton 
girl,  and  smiled.  She  walked  across  to  the  girl, 
and  linked  her  arm  in  hers. 

"S&urs!"  she  said.     "Ma  sceur!" 

The  Breton  girl  smiled  back  and  patted  her 
shoulder  affectionately  entering  into  the  play; 
and  the  Dago  looked  crestfallen.  The  cripple 
made  a  motion  as  of  one  cutting  down  bushes, 
and  then  of  one  binding  withies  into  bundles, 
and  at  that  his  rout  was  apparent.  After  all 
what  real  reason  would  he  have  to  suspect  either 
of  two  Breton  girls  domestically  engaged  in  an 
osier  cutter's  cottage,  when  he  was  on  the  search 
for  a  fugitive  English  girl  in  deshabille  and  an 
attendant  squire? 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders,  spread  out  his  hands 
by  way  of  apology,  and  left  the  hut.  I  saw  him 
go  by  the  path  on  which  we  had  come,  and  the 
reeds  closed  about  him. 

The  grandfather  arrived  about  six  o'clock,  a 
withered  berry  of  a  man,  and  conducted  us  across 
the  swamp  with  mechanical  fidelity.  It  was  no 
great  way,  we  found,  to  the  sea-shore,  but  the 
path  he  took  was  more  protracted,  leading  as  it 
did  towards  a  hamlet  on  the  outskirts.  This  lay 
a  little  back  from  the  shore,  badly  placed  on 
rising  ground,  and  commanding  a  prospect  of 
the  Bay.  Yet  we  were  not  destined  to  make 


THE  PRIVATEERS  173 

acquaintance  with  that  village,  as  you  shall 
hear. 

We  came  out  of  the  plantation  of  osiers  into  a 
marish  stretch  of  sand  and  quagmire,  and  below 
us  was  the  great  green  water  of  the  Atlantic, 
breaking  on  the  beach.  A  little  distance  away 
my  expert  eye  recognised  a  small  craft  low-down 
as  a  yawl,  and  I  could  swear  it  was  no  other 
than  my  boat  come  round  from  Cherbourg  in 
obedience  to  Alston's  orders.  In  that  case  our 
course  was  clear;  she  had  arrived  in  the  nick  of 
time,  and  we  had  only  to  hail  her  to  reach  se- 
curity. As  I  gazed  in  this  vein  of  speculation, 
with  a  rising  heart,  my  glance  was  intercepted 
by  something  in  the  middle  distance,  and  I  was 
aware  of  a  figure  coming  along  the  shore  at  a 
quick  rate.  The  old  man,  laden  with  our  unin- 
telligible thanks  and  something  more  material, 
had  left  us  and  re-entered  the  swamp,  and  we  had 
set  out  along  the  foreshore.  The  figure  now 
broke  into  a  run  toward  us. 

I  had  no  longer  suspicions  merely;  I  knew  now 
that  here  was  Rudgwick  again,  Rudgwick  the 
inevitable,  the  ineluctable.  Well,  if  his  emissary 
ventured  he  ventured  at  his  peril,  for  the  revolver 
rested,  pregnant  with  doom,  in  my  coat-pocket. 
Nevertheless  it  was  no  part  of  my  design  to  be 
involved  in  an  unnecessary  conflict,  however 
much  these  ruffians  deserved  a  violent  end,  and 


i74  THE  PRIVATEERS 

so  I  quickened  my  pace,  and  we  began  to  go 
towards  the  sea  in  a  fine  rush  of  sea-wind.  Miss 
Lovell,  now  a  veritable  Breton  girl,  flashed  along 
beside  me  gallantly,  the  sun  lending  colour  to  the 
blue  of  her  coif  and  bodice.  The  man  behind 
came  on  running. 

The  yawl  rose  and  dipped  in  the  swell,  and  I 
thought  I  could  pick  out  a  figure  or  two  aboard. 
I  shouted,  waved  my  cap  and  endeavoured  in 
other  ways  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  crew. 
Presently  we  happened  upon  a  stick  on  the  beach, 
and  on  this  I  placed  my  coat  and  let  it  flap  dramati- 
cally in  the  air  for  some  moments .  It  seemed  to  me 
that  one  of  the  forms  aboard  the  yawl  had  come  to 
a  pause,  and  was  staring.  I  renewed  my  efforts. 

The  man  behind  had  now  dropped  to  a  walk, 
and  was  less  than  a  hundred  paces  away.  I 
turned  and  gave  him  my  attention.  It  was  the 
tall,  lean,  cadaverous,  pock-marked  fellow  with 
gaps  in  his  teeth  who  had  shadowed  me  on  that 
first  evening  from  Bembridge,  and  who,  I  could 
swear,  had  been  involved  in  the  abduction  of  the 
girl  beside  me. 

"  Do  you  see  that  man, "  I  asked.  "  Have  you 
seen  him  before?" 

She  looked  and  shook  her  head.  "No,"  said 
she.  "Why?"  and  then  her  fears  renewed.  "Is 
it — oh,  is  it  one  of  that  man's  creatures?"  she 
said  piteously. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  175 

"  Never  fear, "  said  I  grimly.  "  He's  not  going 
to  interfere  with  you,  whoever  he  may  be.  He 
has  a  gallows  look,  has  he  not?  What  do  you 
think  of  him?" 

The  fellow  was  now  but  twenty  paces  away, 
and  came  on  deliberately  with  his  hands  in  his 
trouser  pockets,  and  a  cold  fishy  eye  upon  us. 
We  had  stopped  as  if  to  await  him,  and  that 
appeared  to  disconcert  him.  I  stared  at  him  as 
if  he  were  an  animal  rather  than  a  human  being, 
and  continued  my  remarks  overtly. 

"  In  our  country,  Miss  Lovell,  they'd  hang  such 
men  on  sight,"  I  said.  "But  over  yonder  they 
turn  'em  loose  on  simple  citizens.  Mark  you  his 
sinister  eyebrows,  and  the  set  of  those  huge  ears. 
His  complexion  is  perfect  gallows." 

The  man,  who  must  have  heard,  displayed 
signs  of  embarrassment  at  this  usage,  and  moved 
along  the  beach  away  from  us  slowly.  It  was 
evident  that  he  had  orders  only  to  follow  us,  not 
to  molest  us.  We  resumed  our  way,  and  I  tied 
a  white  handkerchief  to  the  stick,  and  as  we  pro- 
ceeded made  signals  according  to  the  naval  code. 
I  knew  that  if  it  were  the  yawl  and  the  master 
were  aboard  he  would,  as  an  old  quartermaster, 
recognise  them.  So  we  marched  on  slowly  wav- 
ing, and  our  spy  at  a  parallel  with  us,  but  nearer 
the  water's  edge. 

My  attention  now  was  engrossed  by  the  yawl, 


176  THE  PRIVATEERS 

on  which  I  detected  some  movement,  and  it  was 
a  cry  from  my  companion  that  gave  me  the  alarm. 

"Look,  oh  look!"  she  cried,  clutching  my  arm, 
and  I  turned  about  towards  the  swamp  from 
which  we  had  emerged  to  see  a  party  of  several 
men  advancing  from  it  swiftly.  The  Dago,  then 
had  not  been  deceived,  or,  if  he  had,  someone 
with  more  intelligence  and  imagination  had  un- 
derstood. The  danger  was  imminent,  and  it  was 
no  occasion  for  dignified  appearances.  I  seized 
Miss  Lovell's  hand  and  began  to  run. 

Tall,  slim  and  lithe-limbed  she  sped  like  Atalanta 
along  the  yellow  sands;  we  ran  like  two  children 
together,  hand  in  hand,  and  with  all  the  abandon 
and  precipitation  of  the  young.  Away  on  my 
left  the  cadaverous  spy  also  had  started  to  run. 
I  was  making  for  the  turn  of  the  coast  which 
gave  access,  according  to  our  recent  guide,  to 
the  group  of  cottages.  It  was  our  only  chance, 
if  I  expected  actual  fighting,  of  which  I  did 
not  yet  know  the  possibilities.  These  were  soon 
to  be  revealed  to  me.  There  was  no  noise  in 
the  pursuit,  nor  did  we  waste  our  breath  on  our 
voices;  so  that  the  whole  affair  was  conducted 
in  silence,  until  the  final  and  unexpected  out- 
break. 

It  was  not  until  we  had  been  running  some 
time  that  I  perceived  a  boat  tossing  on  the  water 
half  way  between  shore  and  yawl,  and  now  I 


'The  figure  in  the  bow  raised  his  arm  and  the  magazine  rifle 
answered  to  his  finger" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  1177 

knew  that  my  signals  had  been  interpreted.  The 
pursuers  also  saw  the  boat,  and  redoubled  their 
exertions  to  catch  up  with  us,  gaining  on  us  con- 
siderably. The  girl  was  fleet  of  foot,  but  the  pace 
was  too  fast  to  endure.  She  breathed  heavily 
and  faltered.  The  lank  spy  was  loping  along  the 
margin  of  the  water,  and  then,  of  a  sudden  he 
too  espied  the  boat.  It  was  close  in  now,  and  a 
man  was  standing  in  the  bows. 

Crack!  The  unexpected  report  of  a  rifle  rever- 
berated and  came  up  the  flat  shore.  The  spy 
ducked  and  turned,  and  dashed  vehemently  away 
from  the  sea's  edge  inland.  Crack!  the  rifle 
spoke  again,  and  the  sand  went  up  in  a  spray  at 
the  foot  of  the  foremost  of  the  pursuers.  He 
paused,  and  then  a  voice  shouted.  Crack!  Again 
the  smoke  of  the  sand  arose,  and  the  figure  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat  dropped  the  weapon  from  his 
shoulder  to  watch.  The  whole  party  had  now 
come  to  a  standstill,  and  the  spy  had  joined 
them.  They  seemed  to  take  counsel  together, 
and  then  made  another  advance  as  the  boat 
beached  with  a  rasping  sound.  The  figure  in 
the  bows  raised  his  arm  and  the  magazine  rifle 
answered  to  his  finger.  The  foremost  of  the  men 
clapped  his  hand  to  his  shoulder  with  an  oath, 
and  once  more  they  came  to  a  pause. 

Miss  Lovell  and  I  were  still  running,  but  slowly 
now,  across  the  intervening  space  of  sand  towards 


178  THE  PRIVATEERS 

the  boat.  Behind  us  arose  an  outcry,  and  glanc- 
ing over  my  shoulder  I  recognised  the  figure  of 
Rudgwick  and  I  thought  I  could  hear  his  sharp 
dominant  voice,  with  the  edge  of  decision. 

A  volley  of  shots  ensued  from  our  hunters,  and 
pattered  against  the  boat.  Alston,  tall,  cool, 
and  debonair  as  ever,  raised  his  arm  once  again, 
without  a  word.  The  rifle  barked  twice,  and  one 
of  Rudgwick' s  pirates  staggered  and  swung 
round.  Miss  Lovell  and  I  reached  the  boat 
breathlessly  and  were  helped  aboard.  I  looked 
back.  A  hundred  yards  away  was  the  group  on 
the  shore,  staring  after  us  infuriate  and  sullen, 
but  helpless.  Only  Rudgwick  had  moved;  and 
it  was  to  snatch  a  pistol  from  one  of  his  followers. 
He  aimed  it  towards  us.  Alston  smiled. 

"Wilson,"  he  observed  pleasantly,  "couldn't 
hit  a  man  o'  war  at  a  hundred  yards.  He's  bully 
on  a  deal,  but  he's  no  good  at  the  trigger  end  of 
a  gun." 

Rudgwick  must  have  realised  this  himself,  for 
he  suddenly  threw  down  the  weapon  contempt- 
uously and  walked  down  to  the  shore.  We  were 
fifty  yards  out,  being  pulled  against  a  fresh  sea. 
Clad  in  a  blue  reefer  suit,  with  nautical  brass 
buttons,  he  gazed  after  us  coolly  enough.  He  had 
lost,  but  he  was  not  going  to  make  a  fuss  about 
it ;  he  was  a  good  gambler,  was  Wilson  Rudgwick. 

"  Say,  Fordyce, "  he  called  across  the  water  and 


THE  PRIVATEERS  179 

through  the  wind.  "That  second  curtain's  fine; 
it's  a  real  spicy  second  act,  come  to  think  of  it. 
But  this  piece  ain't  finished,  Fordyce,  and  don't 
you  mistake.  It's  up  to  me  now." 

Alston  smiled  from  his  place  in  the  bow,  and 
looked  at  me  smiling.  It  struck  me  oddly  that 
he  had  not  looked  at  Miss  Lovell  since  we  had 
been  bundled  unceremoniously  into  the  boat. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  MIST 

BUT  with  the  relaxation  of  the  tension  his 
thoughts  turned,  and  no  doubt  converged  upon 
her.  He  put  out  his  arm  and  made  her  comfort- 
able where  she  sat. 

"That  better?"  he  asked  in  his  sympathetic 
way,  and  as  if  he  addressed  a  child,  with  a  certain 
humourous  tenderness,  "little  Bo-beep  has  lost 
her  sleep,  I  can  see  from  those  large  eyes.  Never 
mind,  Sylvia  girl,  we've  got  the  laugh  on  him 
now. " 

Once  more  he  turned  his  smiling  eyes  land- 
ward, to  where  Rudgwick  was  walking  back  to  his 
men.  It  was  a  queer  way  of  expressing  himself, 
but  I  was  becoming  inured  to  such  locutions. 
And  after  all  we  had  "the  laugh"  on  Rudgwick, 
if  we  felt  in  a  mood  to  laugh.  I  did  not;  nor,  I 
fancy,  did  Miss  Lovell.  Excitement  had  not  died 
out  of  her  face ;  she  threw  out  her  hand  eventually, 
and  seized  his  arm. 

"  Shall  we  escape? "  she  asked  eagerly. 

"We're  going  to  have  a  good  try,"  he  replied 
complacently.  I  do  not  think  it  occurred  to  her 

i  So 


THE  PRIVATEERS  181 

to  doubt  him,  for  he  had  that  masterful  air  of 
which  I  have  spoken,  and  it  was  enhanced  in  some 
mysterious  way  by  his  general  air  of  being  a  dandy 
out  for  a  holiday.  Alston  gave  me  his  attention 
again. 

"  I  was  much  obliged  for  that  note,  Kerslake, " 
said  he.  "It  wouldn't  have  suited  me  to  run 
against  Rudgwick  then.  I  acknowledge  that  was 
a  good  notion  of  his,  to  spread  his  net  right  away 
for  us,  and  it  would  have  come  off  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  you.  I  waited  until  I  calculated  you  were 
overdue,  and  then  returned  along  the  road,  but 
when  I  came  upon  the  car's  track  and  saw  it  wheel 
about,  I  guessed  it  was  all  up.  Our  name's  mud, 
said  I,  and  mud  it  was  for  a  time. " 

"  What  have  you  been  doing? "  I  asked. 

"Oh,  I  lay  low  enough.  What  was  I  to  do 
with  no  boat?  Only  sit  and  crack  my  fingers  on 
the  rocks,  and  wish  the  yawl  was  a  turbine  steamer. 
I  tell  you,  Kerslake,  I  was  done  when  I  saw  the 
schooner  clear  out  to  sea,  but  why  Wilson  came 
back  to-day  is  more  than  I  can  assimilate. " 

"The  yawl  has  only  just  turned  up?"  I  in- 
quired. 

"That's  so;  she's  not  exactly  blood  stock,  but 
she'll  serve;  and  since  yachts  don't  disappear  into 
space  I  reckoned  we'd  got  a  chance  of  running 
down  Wilson." 

We  had  reached  the  yawl  by  this  time,  and  he 


182  THE  PRIVATEERS 

assisted  Miss  Lovell  aboard;  and  presently  we 
three  were  together  in  the  comfortable  little  cabin. 

"Say,  Sylvia,  but  this  is  smaller  quarters  than 
the  Mermaid,  remarked  Alston  smiling. 

She  shuddered.     "  I  hate  all  ships, "  she  said. 

"Oh,  well,  we'll  move  her  along,"  said  Alston 
agreeably.  "She  won't  take  such  a  long  time 
to  make  Plymouth,  Kerslake?  This  man  of  yours 
McCulloch  seems  a  cloudy  sort  of  fellow. " 

"  He's  as  honest  as  the  skin  between  his  brows, " 
I  said 

"That  may  be,"  he  assented.  "But  I  reckon 
he's  got  a  lot  to  learn.  He's  full  of  difficulties — 
he's  a  conventionalist,  like  a  damn  sea-lawyer, 
who  thinks  you  hire  him  to  point  out  that  you 
can't  do  things.  You'll  have  just  to  sweep  his 
mind  up  a  bit." 

At  that  moment  there  was  a  rap  on  the  door, 
which  opened  to  admit  McCulloch  himself,  an 
elderly  stiff  and  somewhat  dour  figure  of  a  man. 

"You  will  excuse  me,  Sir,"  said  he.  "But  do 
I  understand  previous  orders  to  hold? " 

"No,  I  guess  not,"  answered  Alston,  "and  I 
think  you  might  have  cudgelled  that  out  for  your- 
self, Captain,  without  doing  any  harm  to  speak  of 
to  your  brains.  We've  got  what  we  want,  aboard, 
and  we  make  tracks  for  Plymouth.  Let  her  go, 
Mr.  McCulloch ;  spread  her  wings ;  let's  see  her  for 
a  high  flyer." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  183 

McCulloch  saluted,  and  then  stood  to  attention. 

"  Excuse  me,  Sir,  are  you  aware  that  one  of  the 
hands  came  aboard  wounded?"  he  asked  austerely. 

"  Damned  if  I  didn't  think  Wilson  bagged  some- 
one, "  said  Alston  pleasantly.  "  Say,  who's  it,  and 
what's  it,  Captain?" 

"  John  Hellish,  in  the  fore-arm,  Sir. " 

"That  isn't  hurting  much,"  commented  Alston 
musingly.  "That's  not  going  to  scare  us  any. 
Send  him  along  and  I'll  doctor  him,  Captain. 
Smacks  of  old  Montana  times, "  he  remarked  with 
his  winning  smile  at  us. 

McCulloch,  looking  as  if  he  had  something  else 
to  impart,  went  reluctantly,  and  Alston  continued : 

"I  dropped  one  of  Wilson's  in  response,  and 
there  was  more  than  one  scared;  so  we'll  call  it 
even.  I  didn't  want  to  go  to  extremes,  but  they 
pushed  me.  I  thought  the  dust  would  have 
stopped  'em,  and  so  it  would  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
Wilson.  Sylvia,  I  guess  you  want  some  refresh- 
ment." His  gaze  comprehensively  took  her  in. 
"  If  it  hadn't  been  for  Kerslake's  signals,  I  should 
have  let  you  pass.  How  should  I  recognise  you 
in  that  fig?  Gracious,  Sylvia,  you're  handsomer 
than  any  they  raise  as  real  Bretons;  and  you 
look  like  a  fancy-dress  queen." 

The  colour  flowed  into  her  cheeks,  for  she  was 
fast  recovering  her  composure,  and  beginning  to 
resume,  as  it  were,  a  normal  life;  and  Alston's 


184  THE  PRIVATEERS 

very  matter-of-fact  manner  and  his  easy  talka- 
tiveness helped  her  to  regain  assurance.  He 
brought  out  a  bottle  of  wine  and  some  food,  and 
we  made  a  brief  repast,  for  it  was  by  now  moving 
towards  dusk.  The  yawl  was  under  weigh,  and 
marched  very  well  through  the  big  seas,  headed 
for  the  northern  waters  of  the  Bay.  When  Alston 
had  dressed  the  wounded  man's  arm  he  came  aft 
to  us  and  sat  down  against  the  bulwarks  and 
smoked  lazily.  He  was  in  a  contented  mood,  as  be- 
came the  victor,  and  he  was  disposed  to  be  rumi- 
nantly  reminiscent. 

"What  I  don't  understand  is  Wilson's  return," 
he  said.  "I  took  it  that  he  was  making  for  the 
Mediterranean  to  give  you  folks  a  little  yachting ; 
and  I  was  figuring  out  to  run  across  to  Mar- 
seilles as  soon  as  I'd  put  the  yawl  on  the  trail. 
Wilson  gave  me  the  direct  office  about  the  Medi- 
terranean, and  I  know  when  he's  talking  straight. " 

"Neither  Miss  Lovell  nor  myself  was  in  the 
schooner, "  I  told  him,  and  he  stared  in  surprise. 

"Say,  now  where?"  he  demanded. 

I  related  our  story,  and  he  listened  with  interest. 
When  I  had  done  he  put  a  hand  soothingly  on 
Miss  Lovell's  arm  in  just  a  nice  reassuring  way. 
I  am  perfectly  aware  that  it  was  that,  but  I  hated 
it,  and  my  heart  leapt  when  she  winced.  Once 
more  in  my  heart  flowed  the  glory  of  the  morning, 
that  dawn  when  I  had  made  my  wonderful  dis- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  185 

covery.  And  I  came  out  of  my  ecstasy  to  hear 
Alston's  level  voice. 

"Wilson  gave  away  nothing.  When  he  came 
tome " 

" He  came  to  you?"  I  interrupted. 

"Well,  yes.  I  lay  low  in  the  village  yonder, 
with  my  wits  about  me,  you  may  be  sure.  And 
Wilson  came  along  the  day  after  you  were  taken. 
He  invited  me  to  a  conference;  said  he  didn't 
want  fighting  much,  that  he  was  for  peace,  and 
offered  his  terms."  Alston  gave  me  a  glance  in 
the  falling  dusk  and  paused.  "But  I  wasn't 
bartering  any  about  a  woman,  let  alone  a  woman 
I  love,  and  so  we  didn't  deal. " 

"  He  offered  to  surrender  Miss  Lovell  on  certain 
terms?"  I  asked. 

"That's  so,"  said  he  indifferently  as  to  ex- 
pression, but  I  could  see  even  in  the  growing  gloom 
the  glint  of  his  resolute  eyes .  ' '  Terms , "  he  added , 
"which  Miss  Lovell  would  have  repudiated  in- 
dignantly, if  I  know  anything  of  her  spirit. " 

He  glanced  at  her  affectionately.  "Yes,  yes," 
she  cried  quickly.  "  I  would  not  trust  that  man 
at  all." 

The  remark  was  not  quite  relevant,  and  certain- 
ly did  not  cover  the  situation;  but,  poor  girl,  she 
was  impulsive,  and  as  illogical  as  her  sex  is  ever, 
and  she  had  been  through  a  trying  time.  All 
that  emerged  to  me  in  that  conversation  was  that 


186  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Alston  had  refused  to  make  concessions  in  his 
Montana  mines  which  would  have  released  Sylvia 
Lovell.  I  had  already  appreciated  his  stubborn 
character,  but  to  sacrifice  a  girl  to  business — ! 
I  experienced  a  sense  of  indignation;  so  much  so 
that  I  got  up  and  went  forward  where  the  sail  was 
drawing  freely.  McCulloch  stood  in  the  waist 
directing  operations;  and  gave  me  a  brief  ques- 
tioning glance. 

"McCulloch,"  said  I  presently.  "When  can 
you  fetch  Plymouth  ? " 

He  turned  the  matter  over  before  replying, 
and  then  said, 

"  I  wouldn't  like  to  enter  into  a  contract  about 
it,  Sir,  but — the  question  is,  shall  we  fetch  Plym- 
outh?" he  ended  abruptly  and  drily. 

"  What  do  you  mean? " 

He  nodded  towards  the  stern.  "As  we  came 
round  the  corner  that  schooner  was  setting  her  sails . 
Now,  Mr.  Kerslake,  I  don't  know  your  secrets, 
and  I  don't  want  to.  But  seems  to  me  pretty 
evident  that  there's  something  between  you  and 
that  schooner.  I  can't  shut  my  eyes,  and  one 
of  my  men's  shot.  Also  there's  a  wounded  man, 
I  hear,  on  the  beach  there.  That's  nothing  to  do 
with  me  except  to  do  my  duty  and  report  injury 
to  one  of  my  hands  in  obeying  owner's  orders. 
That's  for  Mr.  Alston  to  explain.  But  when  I  see 
you  running  away  from  a  schooner,  and  that 


THE  PRIVATEERS  187 

schooner  clothing  herself  fore  and  aft  with  all 
speed,  I  can  put  two  and  two  together,  and  I 
ask — are  we  going  to  get  to  Plymouth?" 

"It  is  true,"  I  answered.  "The  owner  of  the 
schooner  kidnapped  this  young  lady  on  the  eve  of 
her  marriage.  You  cannot  wonder  that  Mr. 
Alston  has  exhibited  violence." 

"  Seemed  a  nice-spoken  mild  gentleman  coming 
along,"  observed  McCulloch  dryly. 

"We  don't  always  show  what  we  feel,  Mc- 
Culloch," I  replied.  "And  as  regards  your  fears, 
you  forget  the  darkness.  The  schooner  has  no 
chance  of  finding  us  by  night,  not  knowing  our 
destination." 

"That  may  be,  Sir,  and  again  it  mayn't.  But 
that  schooner  is  a  small  craft  that  sails  two  foot  to 
our  one,  and  I've  no  fancy  to  be  on  a  dark  road 
with  a  pistol  at  my  back." 

Alston  joined  us  just  at  this  point,  and  inquired 
what  interested  us. 

"Well,"  said  he,  on  learning  from  me.  "I  pat 
Mr.  McCulloch  on  the  back  for  a  good  guesser.  We 
don't  want  that  pistol  you  talk  of,  and  we're  not 
going  to  have  it.  No  doubt  Rudgwick  will  look 
up  his  map  and  he'll  find  Quiberon  or  Quimper 
there,  and  a  rail-head.  Well,  if  he's  shrewd  he'll 
guess  we  go  there,  but  he  won't  know  for  certain. 
Suppose  the  yawl  lands  us  there,  and  stands  off, 
eh?  Wilson's  got  to  put  a  party  ashore  at 


1 88  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Quiberon  to  make  certain,  and  to  stand  along 
after  the  yawl.  That'll  make  him  sick.  And  per- 
haps we'll  be  in  neither  yawl  nor  Quiberon  nor 
Quimper."  He  laughed.  "Let  her  go,  Captain. 
We'll  fix  that  up." 

When  I  got  back  to  the  stern  Miss  Lovell  was 
still  there.  A  beautiful  night  was  developing 
about  us.  The  yawl  breasted  the  sea  quietly,  and 
the  water  was  awash  below  the  sprit  in  a  lather  of 
foam.  The  bay  was  full  of  rough  water,  though 
the  sky  was  clear,  scattered  only  with  wisps  of 
cloud  under  the  falling  breeze.  Yet  we  footed  it 
at  a  good  pace,  and  the  air  enwrapped  us  with 
delicious  coolness.  The  stars  shone  in  the  sea, 
broken  into  shivers  of  light. 

"  Comfortable  ?"     I  asked  her. 

"Yes,  and  oh  so  tired,"  she  answered;  and  then 
sat  up  against  the  bulwarks,  as  if  by  an  effort  she 
pulled  herself  together.  "Mr.  Kerslake,  I  must 
thank  you  more  than  I  can  say  for  all  your  good- 
ness to  me,"  she  began  quickly.  "Although  I'm 
a — although  I  have  no  claim  on  you  you  have  gone 
to  no  end  of  trouble  for  me,  and  run  dangers.  I 
do  feel  grateful,  believe  me." 

"My  reward  is  your  release,"  I  said  somewhat 
awkwardly. 

"It  is  so  good  of  you  to  think  so,"  she  replied 
firmly. 

"  But  I  know  how  inadequate  it  is  and — and — " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  189 

she  paused.  "I'm  very  sorry  for  being  so  un- 
gracious to  you  at  Bessenton." 

My  thoughts  swung  back  over  what  seemed  a 
life-time.  She  was  all  but  a  stranger  to  me  when 
I  had  made  my  impertinent  suggestion,  and  now  I 
seemed  to  know  her  familiarly,  with  sweet  in- 
timacy, arid  it  was  only  a  week  ago. 

"You  were  not  ungracious,"  I  said;  "it  was  I 
who  was  abominably  meddlesome." 

After  a  moment  she  said  in  a  low  voice:  "You 
have  meddled  to  good  purpose." 

"Had  I  had  any  hint  from  Mr.  Alston  of  the 
situation  between  him  and  Rudgwick  I  might 
have  interfered  earlier  and  to  better  advantage," 
I  said.  She  looked  her  question.  "  I  saw  Rudg- 
wick's  ruffians  about  the  Manor  when  I  called  and 
saw  you." 

"  You  could  not  guess,"  she  said,  "  nor  I,  nor  any- 
one. Oh  I  don't  understand  it.  Mr.  Alston  says 
it's  something  about  mines,  but  they  don't  do  such 
things,  do  they,  Mr.Kerslake?"  she  asked  pitifully. 
"  What  have  I  got  to  do  with  their  mines?" 

"  I  take  it  that  you  were  stolen  as  a  hostage,"  I 
explained ;  "you  were  to  be  the  lever  used  to  bring 
pressure  to  bear  on  Mr.  Alston.  It's  a  queer  idea 
of  business,  I  must  confess,  and  I  don't  think  it 
would  stand  any  chance  of  flourishing  over  here. 
It's  taking  a  leaf  out  of  the  brigand's  book.  You 
were  practically  held  to  ransom." 


IQO  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  I've  heard  of  that  being  done  in  America,"  she 
said,  "but  I  thought  it  was  only  ruffians  and 
thieves  who  stole  people  in  that  way." 

"That's  what  we  call  them,"  I  said,  "but  we've 
a  good  deal  to  learn  from  America  apparently." 

"Oh!"  she  cried.  "I  can  see  that  dreadful 
man's  face  now,  as  he  came  into  the  room."  She 
shuddered.  "  I  had  no  time;  they  just  seized  me, 
without  ceremony,  or  saying  a  word;  and  what 
could  I  do?  Not  even  cry  out  in  those  lonely 
roads  with  any  hope  of  being  heard." 

Certainly  Rudgwick  had  managed  well,  and 
that  by  the  directest  means,  which  was  in  keeping 
with  his  blunt,  arrogant  character.  He  wanted 
his  hostage,  and  he  went  the  shortest  way  to  get 
her,  which  consisted  of  open  kidnapping  from  a 
lonely  hill-side.  His  yacht  lay  off  the  shore,  and 
an  hour  would  suffice  to  carry  out  his  whole  plan. 
It  was  simplicity  itself.  As  I  turned  the  matter 
over  in  my  mind  Miss  Lovell's  head  fell  back  a 
little,  and  her  dress  rustled  into  silence.  She  was 
dead  tired,  and  had  fallen  asleep ;  and  there  I  sat 
within  a  few  feet  of  her  listening  to  the  rip  of  the 
waves  and  the  wind  in  the  canvas,  and  watching 
her  fair  face  emerge  from  the  shadows  in  the  light 
of  the  rising  moon.  Presently  Alston  approached 
from  his  conference  with  McCulloch,  and  ere  he 
reached  her  began  on  the  tender  pitch  of  his  voice 
"  Well,  Sylvia,  do  you  think  you  could  do  with  a — " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  191 

Then  seeing  that  she  slept  he  stopped,  and  look- 
ed down  on  her.  Her  face  was  beautiful,  and  took 
on  even  a  greater  beauty  from  the  pallor  of  the 
moonshine.  But  Alston  gazed  without  any  ex- 
pression on  his  face.  From  where  I  lay  quiet  I 
could  see  his  handsome  features,  the  square 
shoulders,  the  luxuriant  moustache;  and  those 
smiling  and  elusive  eyes  were  silent  now,  signifi- 
cant of  nothing.  At  least  that  is  how  they  ap- 
peared to  me,  but  it  may  be  that  the  nocturnal 
light  was  too  meagre  to  reveal  all  the  truth.  He 
turned  away  after  some  moments  of  observation 
and  crossed  to  me. 

"Awake?"  he  asked,  and  on  hearing  plumped 
down  beside  me.  "I  reckon  this  is  better  than 
the  cabin,"  he  remarked.  "I  think  I'll  leave 
Miss  Lovell  where  she  is."  He  went  on  without 
waiting  for  an  answer.  "Know  this  part  any, 
Kerslake?" 

I  said  I  had  a  slight  acquaintance  with  the 
coast  about  Brest. 

"Oh  well,  maybe  that'll  come  in  useful  a  bit 
later,  but  I'd  like  to  know  what  sort  of  figure  the 
land  cuts  about  here.  Say,  that  schooner  Mc- 
Culloch  says  can  beat  us  two  to  one." 

"  I  should  trust  to  his  estimate, "  I  answered. 

"If  that's  so,"  said  he  reflectively  "we've  got  to 
fix  up  something  in  a  little.  This  blamed  moon's 
up  against  us." 


192  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Instinctively  we  looked  over  the  taffrail  to  the 
crescent  in  the  sky.  The  yawl  left  a  wake  of 
dancing  gold  behind  us,  which  melted  into  a 
horizon  of  luminous  darkness. 

"See  that?"  he  inquired,  touching  my  shoulder. 

"Yes;  she's  on  our  trail,"  I  assented;  "what 
else  did  you  expect?" 

"Knowing  Wilson  Rudgwick,  nothing,"  he 
declared  musingly;  "he's  a  bulldog  on  his  fancy, 
is  Wilson,  and  he  has  the  bulge  of  us  now,  or  ought 
to  ha ve .  Ho w'  s  the  wind  ? " 

"  Dropping,"  said  I. 

Alston  rose  quickly  and  peered  out  towards 
the  land  on  our  port  starboard.  "I  guess  we'll 
keep  in  a  bit,"  he  said,  and  went  forward  to  the 
master. 

The  yawl  made  her  board  wider  and  crept 
towards  the  rocks,  but  she  had  small  way  on  her 
now  in  the  falling  wind.  Alston  came  back  and 
sat  down. 

"Seem's  cheerful  on  the  whole,"  he  observed; 
"  suggests  a  garrulous  circle  of  tale-spouters.  Fire 
away,  Kerslake." 

I  paid  no  heed  to  this,  for  I  was  watching  the 
speck  on  the  twilit  sea  which  was  the  schooner, 
and  Alston  followed  my  example.  When  I 
shifted  my  gaze,  his  was  bent  on  the  deck,  and 
his  lower  jaw  protruded,  as  one  sunk  in  profound 
thought.  The  cold  moon  was  full  upon  the  still 


THE  PRIVATEERS  193 

face  of  the  girl  at  rest  upon  her  unpromising 
couch. 

Alston  got  up  and  went  forward  again  and 
presently  I  heard  my  name.  I  followed  him, 
joining  company  with  McCulloch  and  himself  in 
the  bows. 

"Say,  Kerslake, "  he  greeted  me  in  a  brusque 
voice  of  contempt,  "  this  fool  man  says  he  won't 
put  in  yonder." 

"It's  more  than  I  dare,"  said  the  honest  sailor 
sullenly,  "  I've  no  charts  to  this  coast.  I'll  take 
her  in  anywhere  'twixt  the  Lizard  and  the  Fore- 
land, and  'twixt  Hull  and  Thames  estuary.  But 
I  will  be  damned  if  I  run  her  on  an  unknown 
coast.  It's  not  worth  my  neck,  nor  no  one's." 

"He's  right,"  said  I  to  Alston.  "It's  a  great 
risk." 

Alston  made  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "God's 
sakes,  man  we're  taking  risks  all  the  time  on  this 
cruise;  we're  bound  to  take  risks.  There  she 
comes  beating  along  up,  for  us,  and,  by  the  Lord, 
she'll  have  us  in  two  turns  if  we  keep  on  this  lay. 
We've  got  to  go  in,  Captain,  and  that's  an  end  of 
it." 

McCulloch  was  obstinately  and  perhaps  wisely 
silent,  and  in  that  silence  the  sail  flapped.  An 
idea  came  to  me. 

"McCulloch,"  said  I,  "what'll  she  do  in  light 
airs?" 


194  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Keep  on  leeway,"  said  he  bluntly. 

"Which  is  all  the  schooner  will  do,  I've  a  no- 
tion," I  said.  "And  it  looks  to  me  not  so  much 
light  airs  as  a  dead  calm  we're  going  to  have." 

Both  men  started,  and  McCulloch  bent  over 
the  bow-sprit. 

"  You're  about  right,  sir,"  he  said.  "  She's  not 
making  a  foot." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "then  where's  the  schooner?" 

Alston  clapped  my  shoulder  cheerfully.  "By 
gum,  we'll  see  it  through  at  that,"  he  declared. 
"We'll  keep  her  at  her  distance  till  dawn,  and 
who's  afraid  by  day.  This  coast's  too  populous 
for  hazards  in  daylight." 

Thus  our  spirits  rose  in  the  calm,  and  we  all 
went  about  with  better  heart.  Even  the  hands, 
who  had  necessarily  become  acquainted  with  the 
vendetta  between  the  two  Americans,  entered 
into  the  relief.  After  all  it  is  human  nature  to 
take  part  in  a  conflict,  even  if  it  be  not  your  own, 
with  zest  and  our  jocund  red-faced  sailor  ventured 
to  offer  me  his  congratulations  and  his  encourage- 
ment. 

"  They're  done,  Sir ;  that's  what  they  are.  This 
was  their  only  chance,  and  now  they've  lost  it. 
They  won't  get  no  other;  you  can  bet  on  that." 

Here  then  again  we  were  winning,  and  once 
more  Rudgwick  failed  with  his  very  ringer  on  his 
prey.  But  after  all  no  one  of  us  knew  Rudgwick 


THE  PRIVATEERS  195 

as  Alston  knew  him  and  confessed  that  he  knew 
him.  There  was  a  certain  frank  admiration  of 
Rudgwick  in  Alston's  genial  criticism  of  the  Chi- 
cago operator. 

It  might  have  been  half  an  hour  after  midnight 
when  I,  who  had  fallen  into  an  uneasy  doze,  was 
awakened  by  the  burly  sailor. 

"  Excuse  me,  Sir,"  there's  a  rowing  boat  coming 
up  yonder,"  his  hoarse  voice  muttered. 

I  started  up,  and  instantly  shook  Alston,  who 
responded  with  a  stare,  and  sat  a  hand  to  his 
pocket  instinctively. 

"A  boat!" 

He  scrambled  to  his  feet.  "A  boat!  By 
Heaven,  Wilson's  got  the  crawl  on  me  after  all." 
His  voice  was  like  the  explosion  of  a  bleak  wind. 
He  ran  to  the  taffrail ;  and  in  the  glooming  trail 
of  the  yawl's  lights,  at  a  distance  of  some  half  a 
mile  could  be  plainly  discerned  a  boat  tossing  on 
the  lessening  seas. 

Alston  stood  for  a  moment  impassive  in  all  but 
his  features  which  worked  vaguely  in  the  dark. 
Then  his  suave  voice  had  come  back  to  him. 

"  When  Wilson's  in  for  a  corner  he  don't  go  to 
sleep.  I  did,  and  my  name's  mud.  But  it's  some 
time  since  I  had  a  go  with  him,  and  so  maybe  I 
can  be  excused."  He  turned.  "Mr.  Kerslake, 
would  you  be  so  good  as  to  help  get  out  a  boat. 
We'll  play  pawn  for  pawn." 


196  THE  PRIVATEERS 

He  walked  to  where  Miss  Lovell  lay  and  bent 
over  to  wake  her.  I  hastened  to  obey  his  direc- 
tions, and  McCulloch,  the  big  sailor,  Drake,  and 
I  set  out  the  boat.  In  two  minutes  Alston 
appeared  at  the  side  with  Miss  Lovell,  looking 
alarmed  and  still  mazed  with  sleep,  and  within 
two  minutes  we  were  launched  in  the  twilight, 
and  were  pulling  for  the  loom  of  the  land,  which 
was  here  some  two  miles  away. 

Drake,  Alston,  another  hand  and  myself  were 
at  the  oars,  and  Miss  Lovell  sat  in  the  stern,  a 
tiller  in  her  hand  which  she  was  too  frightened 
as  yet  to  use.  We  had  not  got  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away  when  a  shout  over  the  water  informed 
us  that  we  were  seen. 

"Pull  Devil — pull  tailor,"  said  Alston  with  a 
laugh.  "  We're  tailors  for  the  nonce." 

We  bent  to  the  sculls,  and  the  little  skiff  lurched 
along  the  face  of  the  waters.  The  sea  had  gone 
down,  and  now  came  only  in  a  long  oily  swell 
which  had  the  appearance  of  carrying  us  into  the 
shore.  But  Rudgwick's  boat,  we  might  be  sure, 
was  more  heavily  manned,  and  it  was  clear  that 
we  should  be  hard  put  to  it  to  reach  land  first ;  and 
even  if  we  succeeded  in  the  feat  I  wondered  what 
would  then  befall.  Would  that  obstinate  and 
unscrupulous  pursuer  consent  to  stop  short  of  his 
quarry?  Certainly  there  was  the  prospect  of 
bloodshed  in  our  immediate  purview.  I  felt  for 


THE  PRIVATEERS  197 

my  revolver,  as  I  came  up  to  the  stroke.  Alston's 
back  was  just  before  me,  and  his  broad  shoulders 
swung  to  the  rhythm  of  the  pull. 

"A  strong  pull,  boys,"  said  he.  "We're  not 
done  yet." 

"Are  you  armed?"  I  asked  across  his  shoulder. 

"You  bet,"  he  threw  back  jauntily,  even  reck- 
lessly. "  It  may  come  to  a  brush  yet,  Kerslake." 

It  had  every  appearance  of  that,  and  I  do  not 
know  that  I  was  reluctant.  Indignation  at  the 
cowardly  expedient  by  which  a  young  girl  had 
been  dragged  into  this  intrigue  as  a  pawn  made 
my  blood  boil  at  the  thought  of  Rudgwick.  If 
it  came  to  bloodshed  I  swore  I  would  answer  for 
him ;  and  from  what  I  had  seen  of  Alston,  I  could 
depend  on  his  nerve  and  his  marksmanship. 

We  had  made  over  half  a  mile,  and  the  shore 
was  still  a  long  way  off,  while  the  enemy  was  gain- 
ing slowly.  This  we  could  only  gather  from  the 
sounds,  for  the  surface  of  the  sea  at  a  little  dis- 
tance was  veiled  in  a  film  of  mist.  Suddenly 
Drake,  who  was  behind  me,  leaned  forward  and 
whispered  with  his  great  unruly  voice  in  my  ears, 
and  his  whisper  was  audible  through  the  boat. 

"This'll  trick  'em,  Sir.     Look  over  yonder." 

I  looked,  and  saw  what  he  meant.  The  black 
cape  of  the  land  which  had  been  visible  when  we 
started  was  now  involved  in  mere  obscurity. 
Blackness  had  picked  itself  out  before,  whereas 


198  THE  PRIVATEERS 

now  it  was  lost  in  the  mass  of  lesser  darkness  that 
marked  the  horizon  landwards.  I  looked  up,  and 
the  multitude  of  the  stars  had  vanished.  Only 
the  crescent  shone  weakly  through  a  pale  gold 
dust.  The  mist  was  settling  down. 

And  now  it  descended  fast  enough,  dropping  on 
the  water  like  a  pall ;  so  much  so  that  by  a  com- 
mon impulse  we  ceased  rowing.  The  sound  of  the 
other  boat  reached  us  faintly. 

"Whew!"  said  Drake,  mopping  his  wet  fore- 
head. Alston  sat  motionless,  listening,  and  then : 
"We  can  take  it  easy,  I  reckon,"  he  remarked 
coolly.  "  But  let's  get  along.'* 

We  dipped  and  continued  our  course,  and  for 
the  next  ten  minutes  there  was  silence.  The  fog 
drew  in. 

"This  is  a  little  bit  too  much,"  I  said.  "We 
could  do  with  half  this." 

"Do  you  reckon  we're  going  right?"  asked 
Alston. 

"  I  think  it's  guess-work,"  I  said. 

He  paused  on  his  oar,  as  did  we  all,  and  in  the 
pause  the  noise  of  other  oars  was  audible. 

"  They're  adrift  then,"  said  I.  "  We're  making 
much  the  same  course,  if  it's  any  satisfaction." 

I  don't  know  but  I'd  sooner  get  away  from 
them,"  said  Alston  dryly.  "Let's  shove  her 
along  again." 

Our  voices  must  have  carried  in  the  fog,  for 


THE  PRIVATEERS  199 

there  was  evidently  an  increase  of  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  pursuers.  We  could  hear  the  sculls 
dip  more  quickly,  and  a  voice  which  I  could  rec- 
ognise as  Rudgwick's  spoke  curtly  in  command. 

We  redoubled  our  exertions,  from  time  to  time 
pausing  to  listen,  and  presently  we  heard  no  more 
— nothing  save  the  wash  and  roll  of  the  sea  about 
us. 

"It's  time  we  struck  the  shore  somewheres, 
Sir,"  said  Drake  into  my  ear. 

"The  point  is,  did  we  keep  her  nose  straight. 
If  only  we  could  see  the  stars!" 

"Say,  Kerslake,"  said  Alston  briskly.  "Are 
you  certain  about  this  course?" 

"I  have  as  much  notion  as  you,"  I  answered. 
"  It's  all  a  chance.  We've  thrown  'em  off,  that's 
all  our  luck.  But  if  we  kept  right  we  should  be 
near  in.  Whose  ears  are  sharpest?  Does  any- 
one hear  any  breakers?  The  noise  of  waves 
tumbling  ashore  is  quite  different  from  the  wash 
at  sea." 

We  all  strained  our  ears,  but  could  hear  nothing 
beyond  the  under-droning  of  the  ocean. 

"  We  can  only  go  on,"  I  told  Alston. 

"That's  all  right,"  said  he  cheerfully.  "We'll 
go  on;  and  the  first  man  that  hears  the  shore 
speak  up." 

We  rowed  on  for  twenty  minutes  longer,  by 
which  time  it  was  certain  that  we  had  deviated 


200  THE  PRIVATEERS 

from  our  course.  The  fog  lay  grosser  than  ever, 
and  Alston's  back  had  almost  faded  from  my  view. 
Miss  Lovell  was  still  in  the  stern,  tiller  in  hand, 
but  she  said  no  word,  and  she  was  swallowed  in 
the  darkness. 

Drake  suddenly  checked  his  oar.  "I  hear 
something,  Sir,"  he  whispered.  I  listened.  Cer- 
tainly there  was  a  new  sound,  but  it  was  not  the 
shore  speaking.  What  was  it? 

As  we  waited,  wondering,  a  voice  pierced  the 
gloom,  but  we  could  not  hear  the  words. 

"We've  run  into  them,"  exclaimed  Alston. 

"  No,  by  Jove !"  I  said.  "  It's  no  boat.  I  know 
it  now.  It's  the  water  on  the  hull.  We  must  be 
quite  close  up." 

"The  yawl!"  cried  Alston.  "Lay  her  along. 
Damme,  we'll  have  the  laugh  of  them  yet.  We 
get  back  home,  and  the  Lord  he  knows  where 
they  are.  I'll  drink  Wilson's  health." 

He  chuckled,  and  the  men  dipped  their  oars. 
Two  strokes  fetched  us  alongside,  and  we  pitched 
in  the  darkness  against  a  black  hull.  But  at  the 
first  sight  I  saw  our  mistake.  This  was  not  the 
yawl.  It  was 

"Hush,  man,  hush,"  I  said  as  Drake  began  his 
loud  whisper.  "It's  the  Mermaid!"  and  I  com- 
municated my  news  to  Alston. 

"Say,  that  so?"  he  whispered  back  eagerly, 
and  was  silent. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  201 

And  now  a  voice  came  from  the  darkness  be- 
yond. 

"  I  heard  the  boat  plain,  over  yonder." 

"Anyone  there?"  called  a  second  voice,  which 
I  recognised.  It  was  Butterfield's.  We  kept 
silence;  then  Alston  leaned  back  to  me. 

"There's  a  light  aft;  they're  coming  this  way. 
How  many  do  you  reckon  as  being  aboard?" 

"He  may  have  as  many  as  ten,"  said  I. 

"Do  they  keep  watches?"  said  he. 

"Yes."  ' 

"Say,  Kerslake,  we're  going  to  take  this 
schooner,"  he  remarked  in  his  even  voice. 

"Take  it!"  I  echoed  in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes.  I  guess  we  can  surprise  'em  in  this  dark- 
ness. They  won't  know  where  we  are,  nor  where 
they  are  themselves.  Here  comes  the  light." 

"It  will  reach  us,"  I  said.  "If  you're  game 
then,  I'm  with  you!" 

I  rose  in  the  boat,  whispered  to  Drake,  and 
pulled  myself  up  over  the  bulwarks  on  to  the  deck. 
I  made  the  painter  fast  as  the  man  with  the  light 
reached  me.  He  moved  along  the  bul works, 
throwing  his  lantern  seawards  at  each  step,  and 
as  he  made  his  last  step  I  caught  him.  The  light 
went  down  with  a  crash,  and  I  had  one  hand  over 
his  mouth  ere  he  could  shout  or  cry.  The  resist- 
ance he  made  was  feeble,  and  I  felt  in  my  mind 
that  it  was  Butterfield. 


202  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Got  him?  Bully!"  said  Alston  in  my  ears, 
setting  the  lantern  up.  "  We'll  secure  him  first, 
and  then  go  on  to  the  others." 

Drake  and  the  other  hand  had  by  now  reached 
the  deck,  leaving  Miss  Lovell  in  the  boat,  which 
was  safely  made  fast  to  the  schooner.  We  gave 
our  pursuer  into  their  custody,  and  armed  with 
the  lantern  proceeded  to  investigate. 

It  was  difficult  to  find  one's  way  in  the  fog,  but 
we  scrambled  aft  clumsily,  after  running  into 
several  obstacles,  and  were  brought  up  by  a  hail. 

"That  you,  Mr.  Butterfield?"  asked  a  coarse 
voice.  "Located  that  boat?" 

For  answer  I  handed  the  lantern  to  Alston  who 
was  close  behind  us,  and  took  a  step  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  speaker.  I  caught  him  round  the  neck 
at  the  second  try,  and  threw  him.  I  had  imagined 
the  job  would  be  easy,  but  I  was  disagreeably  sur- 
prised. It  seemed  a  fat  and  bloated  body  be- 
neath me,  but  it  wriggled  and  turned  and  struggled 
like  an  octopus.  With  the  utmost  difficulty  did 
I  keep  my  position  of  vantage,  for  I  was  several 
times  in  danger  of  being  rolled  round  by  the  sheer 
force  of  this  porpoise.  At  last  he  ceased  to  resist, 
and  breathed  heavily. 

"Right,"  said  he.  "You're  top— dog— I  rec- 
ognise— who  the  Devil  may  you  be?" 

"How  many  men  are  aboard?"  I  growled  into 
his  ear. 


'With  the  utmost  difficulty  did  I  Keep  my  position  of  vantage" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  203 

He  puffed.  '  'You  Alston  ?' '  he  gasped.  "  Well, 
it's  not  my  night  out.  All  right.  Top-dog  has 
it.  Nine  all  told." 

"The  rest—?"  I  questioned. 

"The  boss  has  got  a  boat  load,  and  there's  some 
went  by  land  to  Quimper  or  somewhere." 

Alston  whistled.  "  Wilson's  got  his  cards  out," 
he  commented.  "  Say,  take  your  knee  out  of  my 
insides,"  suggested  the  fellow.  I  relaxed  my 
pressure.  "Two  on  you,"  he  went  on,  "I  reckon 
I'm  done  this  round.  All  serene,  sonny." 

"How  many  below?"  I  asked. 

He  considered.     "Seven,"  he  returned. 

If  that  were  so  we  had  accounted  for  the  others, 
and  our  risk  diminished.  Alston  and  I  exchanged 
whispers,  and  then  we  lifted  our  captive  to  his 
feet  and  made  him  march.  We  handed  him  over 
to  the  sentries,  and  returned.  Within  fifteen 
minutes  of  our  boarding,  we  had  the  hatches 
clapped  on,  and  the  Mermaid  was  ours. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  MERMAID 

I  HAVE  said  we  clapped  the  hatches  on,  but  that 
is  to  speak  in  something  of  a  figure.  We  must 
first  secure  the  crew  forward,  which  was  effected 
by  closing  the  entrance  to  the  forecastle  cabins 
and  placing  a  sentry  over  it.  But  there  remained 
the  captain  who,  we  gathered,  had  kept  to  his 
ship.  She  rode  at  anchor  in  the  fog,  like  a  wise 
vessel,  and  her  lights  broached  the  darkness,  port, 
centre  and  stern.  The  skipper  was  evidently  a 
prudent  seaman ;  and  he  was  now  on  our  minds. 

I  had  a  full  recollection  of  the  after  deck,  and 
the  luxurious  little  suite  of  cabins,  and  here  no 
doubt  the  captain  was  berthed.  We  made  our 
way  cautiously  to  the  wheel  and  began  a  system- 
atic and  silent  search.  The  fog  impeded  this, 
but  once  we  had  the  deck  buildings  under  our 
hands  we  stuck  to  them.  There  was  a  small 
companion  ladder  which  led,  I  remembered,  into 
a  saloon  in  miniature,  but  we  had  no  use  for  that. 
It  was  the  staterooms  we  wanted.  I  opened  a 
door  furtively  and  peered  in  while  Alston  flashed 
the  lantern  over  my  head.  It  was  a  bed-room, 

204 


THE  PRIVATEERS  205 

and  it  was  unoccupied.  The  next  door  I  opened 
gave  access  to  a  small  office;  and  a  cabin,  fur- 
nished as  a  bedroom  also,  opened  off  it.  Un- 
doubtedly these  were  Rudgwick's  apartments. 
On  this  side  there  were  no  more  cabins,  and  so  we 
crept  round  to  port.  As  the  vague  and  misty 
light  of  the  lantern  streamed  on  a  closed  door 
here,  I  felt  Alston's  hand  on  my  shoulder. 

"  Say, "  said  he,  "  what's  the  matter  with  leaving 
things  alone?  If  he's  here  he  don't  realise 
anything,  and  anyway  he's  only  one  man.  Let's 
let  up  a  bit,  and  consider. " 

"Very  well,"  I  whispered  back  after  a  pause, 
"  I  don't  see  why  we  shouldn't. " 

We  retraced  our  steps,  and  got  to  where  Drake 
and  his  companion  guarded  the  prisoners. 

"We  must  get  Miss  Lovell  aboard,"  I  said. 
"  I  suppose  you  mean  taking  this  schooner  along. 
That's  your  game? " 

"I'll  run  her  into  Plymouth,  by  gosh,"  he  said 
with  a  laugh.  "  Yes,  let's  get  the  little  girl  in. " 

I  drew  up  the  painter,  and  we  assisted  her  on  to 
the  deck;  after  which  I  conducted  her  to  the 
empty  bedroom  we  had  discovered  on  the  star- 
board side. 

"Rest  now,"  said  I  encouragingly.  "You'll  be 
quite  safe  here. " 

"What  are  we  going  to  do?"  she  asked  in 
bewilderment. 


206  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"We've  chartered  a  bigger  vessel  to  sail  home  in ; 
that's  all,"  I  said  smilingly.  "You'll  soon  see  the 
Island  again. " 

She  sighed.  "Thank  you,"  she  said  simply, 
and  sat  down  on  the  bunk.  She  seemed  still  in  a 
maze  and  I  saw  that  the  best  thing  to  do  was  to 
leave  her  to  recover. 

Outside  I  got  a  glimpse  of  a  figure  passing  in  the 
mist.  It  was  Alston,  and  I  knew  by  that  the  fog 
was  thinning.  I  told  him  so.  A  distinct  breath 
of  air  streamed  out  of  the  night. 

"Can  you  lend  a  hand  at  the  anchor?"  I  asked, 
and  we  went  forward. 

We  got  it  up  without  much  difficulty,  and  I  was 
conscious  that  the  nose  of  the  schooner  went 
about  on  the  moving  water.  Her  sails  were 
spread  on  the  foremast,  and  I  braced  the  sheets. 
Then  I  took  the  wheel.  She  had  a  little  way  on 
her  by  now. 

The  fog  was  scattering  fast,  and  I  could  see  the 
deck  house  from  where  I  stood.  Suddenly  a 
figure  came  round  the  corner,  short  and  square 
and  authoritative. 

"Tilling,"  roared  a  voice.  "She's  under  way. 
What  the  devil's  this?  Whose  orders — " 

I  whistled  shrilly,  and  Alston's  tall  figure 
loomed  up.  The  mist  slowly  dissolving  wreathed 
between  the  two  forms .  The  shorter  one  vanished . 
Overhead  I  could  see  the  stars,  and  the  Mer- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  207 

maid  keeled  over  on  the  port  tack.  Alston's 
face,  white  in  the  ethereal  mist,  was  turned  for  a 
moment  to  me,  and  then  he  walked  towards  the 
deck  house. 

The  whole  deck  now  blew  clear  of  the  fog,  and 
we  stood  stark  in  the  eye  of  the  dawn.  I  could  see 
the  mass  of  the  land  to  starboard.  The  deck  house 
glistened  and  Alston's  athletic  figure  lurked 
behind  it. 

Round  the  corner  again  came  the  short  form, 
and  a  revolver  was  in  its  hand.  The  light  of 
dawn  showed  us  the  red  face,  up-turned  nose  and 
ferocious  moustache  of  the  skipper. 

"Pirates  is  it,  by  God!"  he  bellowed,  and 
raised  his  hand. 

"That  you,  Jude?"  said  Alston  coolly. 
"Damned  if  I  mightn't  have  expected  it.  I've  a 
bead  on  you." 

Two  reports  sounded  simultaneously ;  there  was 
a  rattling  on  the  bulwarks  behind  Alston. 

"Hands  up,  Jude,"  said  Alston.  "That  was 
mere  cave,  the  wind  on  your  cheek.  You  know 
what  to  expect. " 

The  skipper  uttered  an  oath,  and  once  more  the 
two  reports  rang  out,  but  Alston's,  I  judged,  a 
little  in  advance.  The  weapon  dropped  from  the 
captain's  hand,  and  he  seized  his  left  wrist  in  his 
right  hand. 

"Damnation!"  he  roared  like  a  bull  with  pain 


208  THE  PRIVATEERS 

and  fury;  the  blood  dripped  from  his  trigger 
finger. 

"I  didn't  want  to  bite,"  explained  Alston 
calmly.  "You  ought  to  have  known  me,  Jude. " 
He  walked  up  to  the  man,  and  took  his  hand,  the 
smoke  still  issuing  from  his  revolver,  held  negli- 
gently. "I'm  a  bit  of  a  surgeon,  Jude.  I'll  fix 
that.  Damn  it,  man,  why  did  you  bring  it  on 
yourself?  I've  wrecked  that  knuckle." 

At  this  stage  my  attention  was  diverted  from  the 
strange  scene  by  the  apparition  of  Miss  Lovell  who 
bore  down  on  me  wildly.  No  doubt  she  thought 
we  were  involved  in  a  wholesale  engagement. 

"  What  is  it?     Oh,  what  is  it ? "  she  cried. 

The  wheel  flew  out  of  my  hand,  and  I  took  her 
arm. 

"It's  over,"  I  soothed  her;  "come  back  with 
me .  It's  really  nothing. ' ' 

Her  gaze  went  to  the  bloody  hand  of  the  captain, 
where  he  stood,  with  a  frown  of  rage  and  pain,  and 
his  storm  of  oaths ;  and  she  clung  round  my  neck. 

"Take  me  away,  oh,  take  me  away.  I  cannot 
bear  it ! "  she  entreated  sobbing.  "  Take  me  away 
from  this  horrible — "  She  choked  on  the  con- 
clusion of  her  petition,  and  I  led  her  gently  back 
to  the  cabin,  placing  her  on  the  bed. 

"Rest  assured,  child,"  said  I  earnestly,  "that 
nothing  shall  happen  to  you.  I  will  not  let  any- 
thing happen  to  you." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  209 

She  wept  audibly,  and  I  could  do  no  more.  I 
stroked  her  hair,  and  went  back  to  the  wheel 
which  was  kicking  in  idleness.  Alston  and  the 
captain  had  vanished.  Before  me  the  blue-grey 
water  of  the  Bay  was  illumined  by  the  imminent 
dawn.  A  mile  away  was  the  yawl  tossing  at 
anchor.  Our  way  would  take  us  past  her. 

Alston  made  his  appearance  presently  with 
Drake.  "I've  reasoned  like  a  father  with  Jude, " 
he  said,  "  but  his  finger  smarts ;  he  won't  listen  to 
argument.  Anyway,  I've  fixed  him  up  with  the 
other  two  in  his  cabin,  and  mounted  guard.  That 
saves  us  one,  and  we've  got  to  get  to  Plymouth 
mighty  short-handed ! " 

"Oh,  we'll  manage  at  a  pinch,"  I  remarked, 
giving  a  twist  to  the  wheel,  ere  I  gave  it  into 
Drake's  hands. 

"There's  the  yawl,"  I  pointed  out. 

"Um  ....  yes,"  he  considered;  "we 
might  make  up  a  man  or  two  more,  but  to  say  the 
truth  I  don't  like  your  McCulloch.  He's  too  blamed 
conscientious;  he's  got  too  many  scruples  to  go. " 

"I  imagine  we're  in  for  it  anyhow, "  I  observed 
grimly. 

He  looked  at  me.  "Well,  I  don't  know.  I 
wouldn't  lay  a  lot  on  it.  This  is  Wilson's  funeral. 
He's  got  to  square  the  accounts. " 

"Good  Lord,  man,"  said  I.  "There's  one  life 
gone,  if  not  two,  and  some  bloodshed. " 


210  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  Wilson's  got  to  foot  the  bill, "  he  said  calmly. 
"It's  his  order.  I  guess  he's  bought  this  crew, 
and  they're  just  his.  They've  signed  on,  and 
can't  go  back  on  it. " 

"  No,  but  the  authorities  may,"  I  said 
dryly. 

"  I  don't  exactly  know  any  authorities  that  are 
looking  on, "  he  returned  as  dryly.  "  This  might 
be  under  the  Jolly  Roger  for  all  the  writ  that  runs 
here.  Ah,  you're  Britisher,  and  that's  why. 
Your  King's  writ  runs  everywhere,  eh?  Well,  we 
don't  take  account  of  that  our  way.  If  we  don't 
want  a  writ  to  run  it  doesn't.  It  stops  dead,  out 
of  breath,  or  with  a  stitch,  or  something.  I 
reckon,"  he  added  comfortably,  "that  Wilson's 
fixed  it  all  up. " 

It  was  amazing  to  me,  but  then  so  much  had 
been  amazing  that  I  had  almost  ceased  to  be 
staggered. 

"Anyhow,"  I  said,  "our  business  is  to  get  to 
Plymouth,  where  things  can't  happen,  and  where 
writs  do  run. " 

"That's  so,"  he  said,  "as  I've  been  explaining 
to  Jude.  But  he's  one  of  Wilson's  toughs.  Not 
the  first  time  by  a  long  way  they've  been  in  it 
together.  Told  me  to  go  to  Hell  for  company, 
but  I'm  not  going  before  Jude  or  Wilson  either. " 
He  smiled  blandly  and  lit  a  cigar.  "  I  guess  we 
can  pull  it  off,  Kerslake,"  he  continued.  "I 


THE  PRIVATEERS  211 

look  to  you  for  seamanship.  I  don't  know  these 
sea  things.  The  land's  good  enough  for  me. " 

"  And  a  rifle  too,  I  should  say, "  I  could  not  help 
adding. 

"Yes,"  he  said  meditatively,  and  modestly, 
"I'm  a  fair  shot.  I  learned  that  out  Montana 
way.  I  flicked  the  locks  of  his  hair  to  give  him  a 
hint,  but  he  was  too  mad  to  take  it.  Jude  was  a 
fool.  He  knows  me  of  old,  but  he  was  like  a  bull 
of  Bashan.  He  lost  his  head ;  so  I  had  to  rap  his 
knuckles.  I  guess  that  finger's  gone.  He  won't 
bury  it  under  his  tombstone. " 

He  smoked  placidly  while  I  digested  this,  and 
studied  him.  His  glance  was  towards  the  yawl 
which  we  were  rapidly  approaching.  It  was  not 
moving,  for  I  could  perceive  what  McCulloch's 
attitude  would  be.  He  would  take  us  for  Rudg- 
wick's  party,  and  in  his  honest  and  mulish 
British  way  would  defy  us  to  break  the  law.  I  do 
not  believe  that  McCulloch  thought  that  was 
possible,  and  if  it  should  happen  I  am  quite  sure 
he  confidently  trusted  to  the  visitations  of  the 
outraged  law  to  restore  the  balance. 

We  had  got  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the 
yawl  when  I  made  out  a  rowing  boat  hovering 
about  it.  Alston  saw  it  also,  and  nudged  me. 

"I  guess  it's  Wilson,"  he  said  and  laughed. 
"  He's  had  a  wet  night  and  a  weary  one.  I'm  in 
the  mind  to  give  him  a  signal." 


212  THE  PRIVATEERS 

He  bade  Drake  put  the  schooner  a  point  nearer, 
and  went  to  the  side.  As  we  approached  he  took 
off  his  hat  and  waved  it  to  the  boat  which  was 
dancing  towards  us  a  hundred  yards  away.  It 
was  clear  that  Rudgwick  thought  his  captain  was 
come  in  search  of  him. 

" Say,  Wilson,"  shouted  Alston  in  high  feather, 
"say,  can  we  give  you  a  tow  along?"  The  oars 
on  the  boat  stopped  confusedly,  as  if  abruptly 
disconcerted  by  this  astonishing  discovery. 
"She's  got  pretty  feet,  this  craft,  Wilson," 
shouted  Alston. 

The  blow  must  have  fallen  heavily,  but  to  my 
eyes  Rudgwick  showed  no  signs  of  discomposure. 
His  compact  figure  and  square  face  were  visible  in 
the  stern,  and  his  gaze  was  directed  on  us  steadily. 
The  schooner  swerved  like  a  gull  in  response  to 
the  wheel,  and  passed  within  thirty  yards  of  the 
tossing  boat.  The  faces  of  the  men  were  plain 
in  their  anger  and  amazement.  They  were 
marooned!  Rudgwick  opened  his  mouth  at  last. 
His  prize  had  gone  from  him,  and  now  his  yacht 
was  cut  out  under  his  nose.  He  was  left,  a  figure 
of  ridicule,  in  an  open  boat  off  a  remote  shore.  If 
I  had  not  any  pity  for  him,  which  I  certainly  had 
not,  I  had  a  certain  admiration  for  the  way  he  met 
disaster. 

"  Well,  you  might  trail  a  line,  Fordyce,  if  you're 
not  going  far, "  said  he ;  "I  fixed  up  for  a  business 


"He  was  left,  a  figure  of  ridicule,  in  an  open  boat" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  213 

cruise,  but  I'm  not  saying  no  to  a  little  pleasure. " 
Our  schooner  went  by,  Alston  laughing.  "Say, 
if  you  don't  pile  her  up  somewhere,  you  can  hold 
her  in  trust  for  me,  along  with  the  girl,"  cried 
Rudgwick.  Alston's  teeth  showed  in  a  smile 
under  his  big  moustache. 

But  in  that  exchange  of  stupid  sallies  I  had 
other  work  to  do.  The  hands  were  on  the  deck  of 
the  yawl,  in  evident  excitement,  and  I  ran  to  the 
deck-house  for  flags.  As  I  did  so  I  saw  that  the 
window  of  the  Captain's  cabin  was  thrust  open, 
and  Butterfield's  head  appeared  through  it.  The 
attention  of  his  guard  was  withdrawn  to  the  boat 
and  the  sea,  and  Butterfield  extended  a  hand  and 
opened  it  three  times.  His  dull  sallow  face 
glowed  till  it  shone  like  silver.  Rudgwick  had 
not  budged  from  his  seat  in  the  stern  and  was 
looking  hard.  This  was  all  I  saw  as  I  went;  and, 
having  secured  my  flags,  I  made  my  signals.  I 
had  merely  appointed  a  rendezvous  for  McCulloch 
in  case  of  accidents.  The  significance  of  Butter- 
field's  signals  was  to  come. 

Alston  turned  lightly  to  me  as  the  boat  receded 
into  the  distance. 

"I  guess  that  dishes  Wilson,"  he  remarked 
amiably,  "that  brings  me  even  with  him.  And 
now  we'll  go  along  and  get  some  food. " 

We  investigated  the  schooner's  larder  and  soon 
discovered  provisions,  together  with  a  bottle  of 


214  THE  PRIVATEERS 

wine.  Rudgwick  had  fitted  his  yacht  with  all  the 
necessaries  and  many  of  the  extravagances  of  a 
millionaire;  and  for  its  tonnage  the  Mermaid 
was  a  model.  We  ate  and  drank  a  little,  and  then 
I  took  a  trick  at  the  wheel,  and  Alston  mounted 
guard,  while  Drake  and  the  other  man,  Stephenson, 
refreshed  themselves.  After  that  I  looked  into 
the  cabin  and  found  Miss  Lovell  sleeping,  at 
length  upon  the  bunk,  in  her  pretty  Breton  dress, 
evidently  worn  out  by  her  experiences  and 
exhausted  by  her  fears.  Alston  in  his  tireless  way 
occupied  himself  with  the  papers  in  Rudgwick' s 
office.  He  was  in  essence  extremely  restless,  but 
he  had  acquired  the  art  of  outward  composure, 
and  I  discovered  him  reading,  sorting  and  re- 
arranging, with  an  expression  that  conveyed 
nothing  save  the  indifference  of  routine.  It  was 
not  Rudgwick's  sort  of  face;  for  that  to  me 
always  suggested  something  sphinxine,  something 
grim  and  saturnine.  Alston's  was  the  face  of  a 
very  civil  and  agreeable  gentleman. 

Alston  looked  up  pleasantly  from  his  business- 
like employment.  "We're  through,"  he  ob- 
served. 

"You  know  your  man,"  I  answered,"!  don't. 
But  he  seems  very  capable. " 

He  interrupted  his  work  of  fingering  the 
papers.  "Oh,  he's  capable;  he's  more  than  that. 
He's  got  genius  in  a  way.  Here's  the  workings  of 


THE  PRIVATEERS  215 

a  brilliant  operation  I've  just  come  upon."  He 
tapped  the  papers  under  his  hand.  "  Wilson  gets  to 
the  horizon  sometimes,"  he  said  approvingly.  "I 
didn't  think  he'd  got  dash  enough  for  this,  but  it 
appears  he  has. " 

Scruples  had  no  place  in  the  strange  transactions 
between  these  men.  The  one  stole  the  other's 
fiancee,  and  the  other  was  willing  to  turn  over  his 
antagonist's  private  portfolio.  I  supposed  that  if 
they  understood  each  other,  and  agreed  that  all 
was  fair  in  this  warfare,  it  was  all  right.  But  I 
confess  it  went  to  my  marrows  to  see  him,  seated 
there  in  cool  possession  and  rifling  the  owner's 
property  like  a  pirate.  I  left  him,  and  took  a  turn 
on  deck  to  see  that  all  was  well.  We  were  only 
four  besides  Miss  Lovell,  and  we  should  have  our 
hands  full  to  bring  the  Mermaid  into  Plymouth. 
One  must  mount  guard  on  the  prisoners,  and 
there  were  then  but  three  to  navigate  the  schooner. 
Alston's  knowledge  of  the  sea  amounted  to 
nothing,  but  I  had  a  sincere  respect  for  his  powers 
as  a  shot,  and  the  task  of  sentry  would  amply 
suit  him.  When  his  time  came  he  took  Stephen- 
son's  place  before  the  cabin  door,  but  soon  wearied 
of  the  inaction,  and  went  inside.  How  his 
prisoners  received  him  I  do  not  know,  but  his 
visit  cannot  have  been  wholly  unwelcome,  for  he 
emerged  a  little  later  to  ask  me  to  have  a  bottle 
and  some  food  sent  in.  Alston  was  a  very 


216  THE  PRIVATEERS 

abstemious  man,  but  it  was  more  than  likely  the 
others  were  not.  At  any  rate  Alston  seemed  to 
have  enjoyed  his  chat. 

"I  planed  Jude  down  a  bit,"  he  told  me.  "He 
was  all  angles  and  kinks,  and  his  finger's  mighty 
bad.  He  felt  mad,  but  I  got  him  in  a  cinch,  and 
the  old  man'll  rear  up  less,  I  guess.  Fact  is, 
Kerslake,  I'd  sooner  by  heaps  have  willing 
passengers. " 

So  would  I.  There,  of  course,  was  our  trouble, 
but  we  had  to  make  the  best  of  it.  There  were 
several  unwilling  passengers  under  the  hatches 
forward,  and  we  had  to  reckon  with  them.  A 
little  later  they  were  supplied  with  food,  and  got 
their  instructions;  it  behooved  them  to  play 
a  merely  passive  part  for  the  next  two  days. 
Whether  or  no  they  would  was  another  matter. 
In  our  favour  was  the  fact  that  they  were  ignorant 
of  our  paucity  of  numbers.  Otherwise  would 
seven  or  eight  able-bodied  men  allow  four  to  hold 
them  under  without  a  struggle? 

I  carried  Miss  Lovell  her  breakfast  when  she 
woke,  which  she  did  in  a  very  different  mood  from 
that  to  which  she  had  given  way  through  sheer 
exhaustion  of  nerves  and  nature.  Her  sleep  had 
refreshed  her,  and  the  air  was  invigorating  across 
a  bright  blue  sea  and  out  of  a  bright  blue  heaven. 
She  thanked  me  prettily  and  inquired  eagerly 
where  we  were,  and  when  we  should  reach  Plym- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  217 

outh.  Seeming  satisfied  with  my  answers  she 
went  to  the  cabin  door  and  looked  out  at  the 
tumbling  waste  of  water.  The  air  was  salt  and 
fine  with  a  little  morning  chill  in  it,  and  the  colour 
leapt  in  her  face  like  a  rose.  She  looked  more 
beautiful  than  ever  in  her  new  Breton  pictur- 
esqueness,  and  with  that  fair  English  com- 
plexion. 

Alston  paid  her  a  visit  a  little  later,  and,  I  have 
no  doubt,  exhibited  his  customary  courtesy,  but  I 
did  not  observe  in  him  any  of  the  ardour  of  the 
lover.  I  concluded  that  his  conduct  was  regulated 
by  other  conventions  than  exist  with  us,  and  that 
the  American  man  is  taught  to  use  women  with  a 
better  respect,  which,  being  interpreted,  should 
signify  more  ceremony,  and  less  intimacy.  I 
could  not  tell  from  Alston's  manner  how  he  felt, 
but  I  had  an  inkling  of  Miss  Lovell's  feelings.  She 
had  no  capacity  of  concealment;  her  nature  was 
too  impulsive ;  and,  having  occasion  to  visit  her  a 
little  after  Alston,  I  found  her  silent  and  anxious. 
Life  had  no  right  to  mark  those  troubles  on  that 
pretty  brow.  I  was  moved  to  comfort  her,  as  one 
should  comfort  a  child,  for  she  was  little 
more  than  a  child,  and  I  wondered  if  she  un- 
derstood anything  of  life.  Her  feet  were  upon 
the  threshold,  but  she  had  not  crossed  it;  beyond 
the  portals  was  the  unknown,  an  unknown  to 
which  she  was  being  hurried  by  the  exigencies  of 


218  THE  PRIVATEERS 

her  mother,  to  which  she  was  drawing  near  with 
every  foot  the  schooner  made.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  I  recognised  that  troubled  look.  Had  I  not 
seen  it  once  before,  and  had  I  not  been  constrained 
by  it  to  speak?  I  had  spoken  then  for  her  sake, 
and  with  nothing  to  gain ;  and  I  had  been  rebuffed. 
Now  I  was  to  speak  for  myself  and  with  everything 
at  stake  for  me.  What  should  I  receive  at  her 
hands  ?  I  passed  swiftly  from  mere  commonplaces 
about  the  voyage  and  our  position. 

"  We  shall  reach  Plymouth  within  two  days,  we 
hope,  and  then  you  will  be  free — free  from  the 
persecutions  of  Rudgwick,  and  free  in  every  way 
that  you  choose. " 

She  looked  at  me  quickly,  and  then  with  a 
certain  wistfulness. 

"Yes;  it  has  been  a  nightmare,"  she  said  with 
a  sigh. 

"  It's  my  hope  and  my  ambition  to  restore  you 
to  your  mother's  hands, "  I  said. 

"  You  are  very  kind, "  she  said  dully. 

The  iron  was  eating  into  her  soul,  the  iron  of 
doubt,  of  wonder,  of  dismay.  Was  it  that? 

"But  I  should  like  to  know  one  thing,  Miss 
Lovell, "  I  continued  firmly,  "  and  that  is,  whether 
that  restoration  will  be  making  wholly  for  your 
happiness." 

She  looked  up  again  at  me,  and  then  away. 
"  How  can  you  doubt  that?"  she  asked  slowly. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  219 

"To  be  free  from  that  horrible  man,  and  home 
again — !" 

"You  shall  not  mistake  me,"  I  said,  "I'm  not 
going  to  mince  matters.  Mr.  Alston  and  I  joined 
forces  to  rescue  you.  But  I  am  nothing  to  him 
otherwise,  nor  he  to  me.  What  I  have  done,  I 
have  done  not  for  him,  but  for  you. " 

"  I  shall  never  thank  you  enough  for  all  you  did 
— in  the  marsh,"  she  shuddered — "everywhere, 
always." 

I  took  her  hand.  "You  shall  not  mistake,"  I 
said.  She  looked  at  me  startled,  and  her  eyes 
were  full  of  fear.  She  tried  to  release  her  trem- 
bling hand .  "The circumstances  are  exceptional , ' ' 
I  went  on  speaking  now  very  fast  on  the  swelling 
tide  of  my  emotions.  "Even  if  they  weren't  I 
think  I  should  speak.  I  think  there  has  been  a 
mistake — with  Mr.  Alston.  Don't  think  me 
presumptuous.  But  I  have  guessed  things.  I 
think— Oh— "  I  broke  off  suddenly,  "Sylvia,  I 
want  you,  I  want  you.  Sylvia,  give  me  yourself. " 

Slowly  the  fear  had  died  out  of  her  beautiful 
eyes,  which  filled  with  some  other  emotion,  I 
could  not  tell  what ;  and  then  I  was  aware  that  a 
cold  light  animated  them,  and  she  shrank  from  me. 

" How  dare  you?"  she  asked  in  a  low  fluttering 
voice.  "Oh,  how  could  you?  How  hateful  of 
you  to — "  she  uttered  a  little  sob;  and  tore  her 
hand  from  mine.  "And  you  thought  I — Please 


220  THE  PRIVATEERS 

go  away.  Oh,  go  away,  if  you  have  any  honour. 
You  have  made  me  feel — Oh  how  could  you? "  she 
said  plaintively. 

"I — I  am  very  sorry,"  I  stammered  lamely; 
and  she  took  hold  of  herself  in  the  curious  way  she 
had,  drawing  herself  up  tighter,  her  firm  little  chin 
definite;  she  looked  infinitely  girlish  and  proud 
and  angry,  and  there  was  shame  in  the  background 
of  her  poise  and  manner. 

"Will  you  be  good  enough  to  leave  me,"  she 
said  coldly  but  nervously,  "and  I  shall  be  glad  if 
you  will  send  Mr.  Alston  to  me. " 

My  heart  fell.  I  had  had  my  second  rebuff,  and 
it  was  the  greater  that  my  hopes  had  been  great. 
I  had  had  no  reason  to  suppose  she  cared  for 
me ;  I  had  only  conjectured  that  she  did  not  care 
for  Alston.  Yet  was  there  not  a  terrible  bitterness 
in  the  thought  that  she  sent  for  him  as  for  her 
natural  protector,  for  consolation  and  comfort?  I 
had  not  insulted  her  in  my  offer  of  honest  love, 
unless  it  was  that  she  took  an  expression  of  love  to 
a  woman  engaged  to  another  man  to  be  an  insult. 
To  me  it  had  not  that  aspect.  I  could  not  bring 
myself  to  regard  an  engagement  as  equivalent  to  a 
marriage  in  its  bindingness,  for  it  has  always 
seemed  to  me  that  the  period  of  the  former  is  a 
period  of  probation,  during  which  both  parties,  so 
to  speak,  test  themselves  for  the  veil  they  are  to 
take.  If  Sylvia  Lovell  loved  the  man  to  whom 


THE  PRIVATEERS  221 

she  was  betrothed  it  was  no  insult  on  my  part  to 
acquaint  her  with  my  feelings  towards  her;  and 
still  less  was  it  derogatory  if  she  did  not  love  him. 
In  the  whirl  of  my  mingled  feelings  I  had  a  sense 
of  bewilderment,  of  not  having  been  treated  quite 
fairly.  My  heart  was  raw  with  its  wounds. 

I  left  her  without  any  further  word.  I  made  no 
apology;  I  offered  no  plea.  And  I  took  her 
message  to  Alston.  He  nodded,  finished  his  work, 
and  rose.  As  for  me,  I  went  forward  into  the  bow 
and  gazed  into  the  sea, 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  RISING 

I  TOOK  the  wheel  from  Drake  at  eight  bells, 
with  the  sun  broad  on  our  beam,  and  the  big 
blue  water  afield.  Alston  took  his  turn  at  sentry- 
go  before  the  cabin.  Forward  there  was  no 
sound  from  the  imprisoned  hands,  whom  we  had 
supplied  again  with  food.  Alston  came  to  the 
corner  of  the  deck  house  and  watched  me  for  a 
time  in  silence. 

"We  should  make  Plymouth  pretty  soon  at 
this  rate,"  he  observed.  "She's  going  free." 

The  breeze  had  rattled  up  behind  us,  and  the 
schooner  dipped  and  skimmed  like  a  gull;  she 
was  afoot  to  please  the  heart  of  a  sailor.  The 
earlier  she  was  in  Plymouth  the  better  I  should 
be  pleased,  for  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  leave 
her  there,  and  to  walk  out  of  her  life  and  the 
lives  of  Alston  and  Miss  Lovell.  After  all  I  had 
achieved  what  I  had  initially  designed  to  achieve, 
the  rescue  of  the  girl  and  the  discomfiture  of  an 
unscrupulous  American  magnate. 

Alston  met  me,  after  my  trick,  and  after  I  had 
adjusted  a  topsail,  invited  me  into  his  rooms,  or 


THE  PRIVATEERS  223 

rather  into  Rudgwick's.  Papers  neatly  docketed, 
with  memoranda,  were  set  out  on  the  table. 

"It's  to-night  of  course,  we'll  have  our  real 
ordeal,"  he  remarked  casually. 

It  had  been  on  my  mind  all  day.  "Yes,  to- 
night," I  assented  indifferently. 

"Think  they'll  make  any  attempt?"  he  asked. 

"Well,  the  skipper  and  Butterfield  know  by 
this  that  we've  four  and  no  more,  and  that's  one 
more  than  they.  But  the  imprisoned  hands  are 
probably  under  the  impression  that  we're  a  crew. " 

"That  was  my  idea, "  he  remarked  with  a  nod. 

"So,"  I  concluded,  "our  condition's  not  des- 
perate, if  we  can  keep  the  hatches  sealed." 

"Oh,  we'll  do  that,"  said  Alston  confidently. 
He  glanced  across  the  taffrail.  "  Look  here ;  don't 
go,  man,"  he  said.  "Have  a  whiskey.  I  want 
a  talk.  You  sit  down,  Lieutenant."  I  declined 
the  whiskey,  but  sat  down,  and  he  leaned  back 
in  his  chair,  eyeing  me.  "Your  position  in  this 
affair  is  what's  troubling  me, "  said  he.  "I  want 
to  know  where  you  come  in." 

"It's  rather  late  to  think  of  that,  isn't  it?"  I 
asked. 

He  looked  at  his  cigar.  "There's  got  to  be 
a  beginning  to  all  things,"  he  said  sententiously, 
"and  I  don't  know  but  what  this  is  just  begin- 
ning." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked  sharply.     I 


224  THE  PRIVATEERS 

did  not  know,  and  I  never  knew,  what  passed 
in  that  interview  between  Alston  and  Miss  Lovell. 
But  his  words  were  enough  to  inflame  me  in  my 
state. 

"Well,  say  you  came  into  this  for  the  sheer 
love  of  the  game,"  he  remarked,  still  observing 
his  cigar.  "That's  not  a  bad  notion." 

"There's  a  little  more  in  it  than  that,"  I  said 
rather  dryly. 

"As  how?"     He  looked  at  me. 

"  You  forget  that  a  countrywoman  of  mine  had 
been  abducted  by  a  friend  of  yours. " 

I  put  it  in  that  offensive  way  on  purpose,  but 
he  took  no  offence.  His  eyes  twinkled. 

"I  see,"  he  remarked.  "Let  us  put  it  in  this 
way  then,  Kerslake.  You  wanted  your  bellyfull 
of  adventure,  and  you  liked  the  role  of  knight 
errant,  of  Paladin,  say." 

"You  may  put  it  in  that  way,  if  you  like,"  I 
replied.  "It's  not  of  much  consequence  how 
it's  put.  The  incident's  all  but  over,  and  I've 
nearly  done  with  it." 

He  pondered.  "Is  it?"  he  asked  slowly.  "I 
wish  I  knew.  See,  you  don't  know  Rudgwick. 
Well,  anyway,  I'm  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr. 
Kerslake,  for  your  help.  I  guess  I've  pulled 
through  on  that.  But  all  the  same,"  and  again 
his  eyes  twinkled,  "I  can't  say  you've  acted 
on  the  square  to  me." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  225 

I  jumped  to  my  feet.  "Damn  it,  sir "  I 

was  beginning  when  he  stopped  me. 

"Don't  fuss  any,"  he  enjoined  soothingly. 
"There's  none  too  many  of  us  for  the  work. 
Say,  let's  have  it  out,  if  you  will,  only  sensibly. 
I  like  you,  and  you've  done  well  by  me,  but 
you've  played  on  the  crook  a  bit." 

By  this  time  I  was  master  of  my  impetuous 
temper.  "You  are  referring  to  Miss  Lovell,"  I 
said  as  deliberately  as  he.  He  nodded,  waiting, 
and  watching  with  bright  eyes. 

"I  proposed  to  her  this  afternoon,"  I  said 
bluntly. 

Again  he  nodded.  "I  guessed  that."  Then 
he  had  not  been  told.  I  was  glad;  I  was  more 
than  glad. 

"  I  am  quite  frank,  and  I  was  quite  frank.  I 
suggested  to  Miss  Lovell  that  she  had  no  feeling 
for  you,  and  I  invited  her  to  care  for  me." 

He  put  his  head  to  one  side,  his  long  legs 
crossed  before  him,  as  he  tilted  his  chair.  "That 
sounds  fair  as  a  whole,"  he  said  complacently. 
"I  don't  know  that  I've  any  particular  fault  to 
find  with  that." 

"That  is  all,"   I  said  curtly. 

"I  reckon  you  should  have  known  your  own 
blood  better,"  he  observed.  "English  girl  spells 
loyalty,  a  damn  sight  more  than  with  us.  I 
recollect  an  old  story  of  yours  I  heard  that  seems 


226  THE  PRIVATEERS 

to  kind  of  come  in,  about  a  stout  old  marquis 
comforting  himself  on  this  matter,  that  Basing 
House  was  called  Loyalty.  Well,  I  don't  exactly 
mark  you  out  for  blame,  seeing  who  it  was;  but 
you  might  have  waited  until  we  got  to  Plymouth 
and  taken  your  conge  there  rather  than  have  it 
happen  on  my  boat,  so  to  speak.  It  would  have 
looked  prettier,  Kerslake ;  you  can  take  it  from  me. ' ' 

His  smile  was  amiable  enough,  and  was  prob- 
ably designed  to  take  the  sting  out  of  his  words ; 
but  his  manner,  his  air  of  overlordship  galled  me. 
I  cannot  say  that  he  had  taken  the  episode  with 
an  ill  grace,  but  I  would  far  sooner  that  he  had 
broken  out  in  anger  than  have  used  me  with  such 
patronizing  tolerance. 

"Pardon  me,"  I  said  with  suppressed  fury. 
"The  Esperance  is  mine."  He  stared.  "It  is 
in  my  name,  and  I  have  discharged  the  ex- 
penses. The  expedition's  mine." 

His  eyes  gleamed.  "So,"  he  said  at  last. 
"Then  that's  why  you  put  me  off  with  a  tale  of 
after-payment.  You  had  the  notion  of  this  all 
along.  Well,  it  begins  to  look  like  a  deep-laid 
plot,  Kerslake,"  he  said  with  an  easy  laugh. 

"That  about  hits  it,"  I  agreed. 

"Well,"  he  said.  "I  guess  we'll  deal  for  this 
charter  when  we  get  to  Plymouth,  and  will  call 
it  square.  I  don't  make  any  bones  about  it." 
He  put  out  his  hand.  I  hesitated. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  227 

"I  wish  you  to  know,"  I  said,  "that  I  am  of 
the  same  opinion  still." 

"Bless  you,  I  don't  blame  you,  dear  man," 
he  interjected. 

"I'm  out  of  it,  but  I'm  not  necessarily  done," 
I  said.  "If  I  were  sure  you  had  Miss  Lovell's 
sincere  affection  I  would  say  nothing." 

He  smiled.  "  You  are  an  infidel,  Kerslake, "  he 
said,  "a  real  unbeliever.  Well,  this  looks  like 
a  determined  assault.  I  guess  I've  got  to  take 
you  on.  As  I've  got  Wilson  on  me,  I  guess  it 
won't  make  much  odds  taking  you  on  too." 
He  patted  my  back  in  a  friendly  way,  and  I 
freely  admit  he  cut  the  better  figure.  To  an 
onlooker  there  must  have  seemed  a  largeness 
about  his  motives  and  his  actions,  but  I  was 
not  sure.  If  not,  he  could  stage-manage  won- 
derfully. 

I  was  passing  out  when  he  said, 

"Say,  Kerslake,  what's  the  matter  with  a  little 
dinner  to-night  in  company?  We  can  fix  up 
with  Wilson's  stores,  and  I'm  a  fair  hand  with 
pots  and  pans.  I'll  give  you  a  genuine  Amer- 
ican dinner,  barring  pop-corn,  and  Miss  Lovell 
shall  join  us." 

I  had  perhaps  been  ungracious  enough,  and  I 
smiled  back  in  answer — "Always  provided  you 
take  me  on  my  terms  I  shall  be  delighted." 

"Oh,  we've  got  to  take  each  other  on  terms," 


228  THE  PRIVATEERS 

he  said  cheerfully,  "and  I'd  take  you  on  any 
terms.  That's  fixed  then." 

In  my  acceptance  I  had  not  thought  of  Miss 
Lovell,  but  only  of  Alston  and  myself;  but  later 
I  had  some  misgivings  about  facing  her,  and  the 
event  proved  that  I  was  right.  It  was  a  singular 
and  uncomfortable  meal.  Constraint  possessed 
Miss  Lovell,  and  I  was  ill  at  ease  in  my  heart. 
It  was  Alston  who  carried  it  through.  He  talked 
even  more  than  usual,  as  if  he  were  aware  of  the 
difficulty  of  the  situation,  and  were  resolved  to 
smooth  it  out.  He  was  fluent  to  a  degree,  and 
excelled  himself  in  his  address.  He  recommended 
this  dish  or  that,  dwelled  on  its  points,  and  gave 
us  its  history.  Miss  Lovell  ate  very  sparingly, 
and  was  silent.  Her  face  was  pale,  which  did 
but  lend  accent  to  its  youthful  beauty.  I  think 
I  did  what  was  requisite  in  supporting  the  burden 
of  conversation,  but  I  did  it  by  an  effort,  which 
must  have  been  obvious.  And  whenever  a  pause 
opened  Alston  stepped  gallantly  into  the  breach 
with  some  anecdote,  or  jest,  or  reminiscence. 
He  had  a  flow  of  small  stories  calculated  for  after 
dinner  conversation.  Particularly  did  he  talk  of 
Rudgwick  and  his  associates. 

"There's  Jude  now,  that  little  red-faced,  tip- 
nosed  dead-head  we've  got  boxed  up.  He  ran 
a  boat  on  the  Erie  once,  and  got  into  trouble 
with  the  Canadian  authorities.  It  was  Wilson 


THE  PRIVATEERS  229 

brought  him  out  of  that.  Wilson  fixed  him  for 
a  useful  man,  and  he's  been  useful  to  him  beyond 
denying.  Jude  and  a  crew  got  into  a  mess  over 
some  job  of  Wilson's  away  down  East,  and  Jude 
and  his  mate  found  themselves  in  the  dock 
mighty  quick.  Well,  first  Wilson  tries  to  buy 
them  out  indirectly,  but  it  wouldn't  go.  So  he 
goes  to  work  otherwise.  He  primes  all  the  wit- 
nesses, that  is  the  crew,  with  drink  so  that  they 
come  into  the  box  dead  drunk,  and  thus  he  gets 
the  trial  postponed.  Then  when  it  came  on 
again,  every  blessed  witness  was  absent.  They 
were  being  kept  away  down  South  on  one  of 
Wilson's  ranches,  kept  like  fatted  calves,  and  no 
letters  delivered  to  them,  and  no  addresses  known. 
So  there  being  no  evidence  forthcoming  against 
Jude,  he  and  his  mate  were  discharged.  Wilson's 
the  man  for  seeing  a  thing  through." 

"It's  to  be  hoped  he  won't  see  this  thing 
through,"  I  could  not  help  saying. 

Alston  glanced  at  Miss  Lovell.  "He'll  see  it 
through  in  a  way,"  he  answered,  "and  when  he 
gets  to  the  end  and  finds  a  dead  wall,  he  won't 
run  his  head  against  it.  That's  not  his  way. 
He'll  go  home  and  order  a  good  dinner  at  Sherry's. 
I  guess  Wilson's  a  philosopher.  He's  a  good 
loser."  He  paused,  listening;  and  above  the 
wash  of  the  sea  against  the  schooner  I  could  hear 
voices.  Alston  jumped  up,  and  I  followed  his 


23o  THE  PRIVATEERS 

example.     He  opened  the  cabin-door  tnat  gave 
on  the  deck. 

"What's  the  game?"  he  demanded.  "Oh,  a 
prisoner  wants  something,  does  he?  Wants  to 
make  a  communication.  Who  is  it?  My  friend 
Jude?  No,  Butterfield.  Come  along  Mr.  But- 
terfield;  we'll  talk  right  away.'* 

He  stepped  out  upon  the  deck,  leaving  me  with 
Miss  Lovell,  and  the  door  closed  behind  him. 
At  once  my  embarrassment  increased,  and  I  too 
was  for  departure.  She  had  sat  watching  us 
with  a  growing  expression  of  suspicion  and  alarm, 
and  now  it  was  those  alone  that  I  saw  in  her 
face ;  and  oddly  as  it  may  sound,  they  re-assured 
me. 

"Is  it "  she  hesitated. 

"No;  it  is  nothing,"  I  answered,  "only  a  re- 
quest from  one  of  the  prisoners — Butterfield,  I 
think." 

She  sighed  her  relief,  and  then  unexpectedly 
after  a  moment's  pause  broke  out:  "Mr.  Ker- 
slake,  I  do  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  your 
goodness  to  me,  at  the  chateau  and  in  the  swamp, 
and  all  through.  You  mustn't  believe  me  un- 
grateful. " 

"I  could  never  have  done  that,"  I  said 
lamely. 

"Oh  but "  she  looked  distress  at  me,  but 

Alston  re-entered  ere  she  could  go  on.     He  was 


THE  PRIVATEERS  231 

laughing  silently,  as  if  in  appreciation  of  a  rich 
joke. 

"Say,  did  you  like  that  dinner  any?"  he  in- 
quired. 

We  both  answered  civilly  in  the  affirmative. 
"Well,  if  it's  not  complete,  we  can  add  a  dish 
to  the  menu.  Personally  I've  rather  a  fancy  to 
do  it.  Here's  Mr.  Butterfield  anxious  to  oblige. " 

"Butterfield!"  said  I. 

"Yes — tells  me  that  I  can  apply  to  you  for  a 
testimonial  for  his  omelettes.  Dear  Sir,  I  have 
tasted  your  omelette,  since  which  I  have  eat  no 
other.  That  sort  of  thing.  Sylvia,  what  do  you 
say?  Can  you  eat  omelette?" 

Swiftly  her  glance  met  mine,  and  I  knew  why. 
We  both  recalled  simultaneously  the  part  played 
by  that  previous  omelette.  She  shook  her  head. 

"I   couldn't  eat  anything  more." 

"Well,  I  guess  we'll  have  it  anyway,"  said 
Alston  cheerfully,  "if  you'll  pass  it,  Kerslake. " 

"Oh,  I  have  eaten  Butterfield's  omelettes," 
said  I.  "  But  I  don't  know  why  he  should  take 
such  thought  for  our  palates." 

"  No ;  I  was  wondering  that, "  said  Alston  easily. 
"That's  why  I  want  him  in."  He  went  to  the 
door  and  shouted  an  order  to  the  sentry;  and 
then  came  back.  "  Butterfield  complains  of  dull- 
ness. Well,  I've  been  in  places  that  were  duller 
than  Jude's  company.  Jude  and  the  blear-eyed 


232  THE  PRIVATEERS 

bos'un  play  cards  I  gave  'em,  Jude  with  his 
bloody  finger  in  a  rag;  and  Jude  smokes  and  chews 
and  the  bos'un  smokes  and  chews;  and  that 
cabin's  a  rarity.  It  turns  Butter-field's  stomach, 
he  says.  Well,  I'm  not  wondering.  He  can't 
play  cards,  which  he  disapproves  of,  and  he  don't 
drink,  and  the  smell  of  tobacco  makes  him  queasy. 
Butterfield  wants  airing,  and  says  so." 

As  he  spoke  the  little  man  entered,  his  sallow 
ugly  face  distorted  in  a  grin. 

"I've  given  you  my  parole,  Mr.  Alston,  not 
to  escape.  I  guess  now  it's  real  good  of  you  to 
hang  me  up  to  dry  like  this.  I  can't  get  the 
smell  out  of  my  face.  I  hope  you're  well,  Miss. 
Lieutenant,  how  are  you?" 

"I  have  heard  of  your  powers,  Butterfield," 
began  Alston  solemnly,  "in  culinary  affairs  from 
Mr.  Kerslake  here,  and  the  sense  of  this  company 
has  been  taken  to  invite  you  to  a  performance. 
We  should  prefer  to  see  you  in  one  of  your  more 
eccentric  acts,  but  we  leave  the  turn  to  you  con- 
fidently, as  an  artist  and  a  master." 

"I  thank  you,  gentlemen,  for  your  consider- 
ation, and  the  compliment  it  implies, "  said  But- 
terfield as  gravely,  "and,  if  it's  all  one  to  the 
company,  I'll  take  the  omelette  feat.  Say,  have 
you  got  fixtures  here?" 

Alston's  face  carried  a  broad  smile,  as  he  leaned 
back  in  his  chair. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  233 

"  If  it  will  not  interfere  with  the  turn,  Mr.  But- 
terfield, "  he  said,  "I  should  like  a  cigar,  if  Miss 
Lovell  has  no  objection." 

Miss  Lovell  murmured  a  negative,  and  kept 
her  eyes  on  Butterfield. 

"It's  chewing  I  object  to,"  he  explained,  as 
he  explored  in  a  cupboard  behind  Alston.  He 
re -appeared  with  a  chafing-dish,  and  set  it  on 
the  table  before  Miss  Lovell.  "You  can  do 
pretty  well  what  you  will  with  a  chafing-dish," 
he  went  on  with  pride.  "And  now  with  your 
leave,  Mr.  Alston,  I'll  be  seeing  what  about  the 
materials.  Butter  and  eggs  are  all  I  want  I 
guess." 

"There's  butter  in  the  cupboard,"  said  Alston. 

"Eggs?"  he  queried.  "No;  I  guess  they're  in 
cook's  quarters." 

Alston  rose.  "  Let's  get  'em  out  of  the  galley, " 
said  he,  and  out  he  went  accompanied  by  the 
factotum. 

When  they  returned  Butterfield  was  supplied 
with  eggs,  and  set  to  work.  He  had  something 
between  the  air  of  a  music-hall  juggler,  and  that 
of  a  cheap-jack,  exhibiting  his  wares.  He  rattled 
on  glibly,  with  the  same  solemn  countenance, 
occasionally  illuminated  by  a  smile. 

"I  guess  this  dish  takes  a  deal  of  doing  prop- 
erly," he  declared,  and  there's  some  points  in  it 
that  I  can  add.  It'll  beat  Paris  cookery  when 


234  THE  PRIVATEERS 

1  I've  done  with  it.  It's  no  great  shakes  as  it  is — 
kind  of  lacks  bif !  Lieutenant,  you  did  me  proud 
over  that  omelette,  but  it  wasn't  a  nice  mess, 
Sir,  no.  But  I  took  it  kindly,  as  I  did  from  the 
lady." 

The  omelette  smoked  in  the  pan,  and  Alston 
looked  on  with  interested  eyes. 

"I'm  just  wondering,  Butterfield, "  said  he, 
"why  you  took  a  notion  to  play  chef  to  us." 

"You  spend  twelve  hours  on  end  in  atmos- 
phere like  that  yonder,  and  you'd  take  a  notion  to 
do  any  blamed  thing  that  would  help  you  out," 
said  he.  "  I  reckon  I'm  a  monkey  earning  my 
airing. " 

There  was  something  farcical  in  the  situation, 
and  yet  the  recurrence  of  this  culinary  feat 
seemed  to  be  a  little  ominous.  When  he  had 
treated  me  to  an  omelette  before  it  had  been  the 
signal  for  his  discomfiture.  Of  that  he  knew 
nothing,  yet  irony  could  go  no  farther  than  to 
retort  upon  us  in  this  second  dish.  I  got  up  un- 
easily and  touched  Alston  on  the  shoulder. 

"I  don't  like  this,"  I  whispered. 

He  drew  his  level  brows  at  me,  "  I'm  wonder- 
ing," he  returned.  "We'll  have  the  farce  over. 
Say  Butterfield,  you're  a  mighty  fine  hand  at  a 
dish,  and  the  banquet's  just  lovely.  But  I  don't 
feel  that  gnawing  appetite  which  I  reckoned  on. 
What's  the  matter  with  taking  that  steaming 


THE  PRIVATEERS  235 

handsome  and  odorous  mess  into  Jude  and  Co. 
in  a  lordly  dish?" 

"Well,"  Butterfield  dubitated,  as  if  crestfallen. 
"If  you  really  mean  it, " 

"What's  that?"  said  I.  A  sound,  a  disturb- 
ing sound,  came  from  without.  Butterfield 
smoothed  his  mess  lovingly. 

"I  don't  mind  if  I  do,"  he  drawled  loudly. 

I  sprang  to  the  door,  as  a  crash  reached  my 
ears,  and  then  it  burst  open  and  dark  figures 
filled  the  open  space. 

"This  is  you,  Butterfield,"  cried  Alston  of  a 
sudden  infuriate.  "  By  God,  you're  a  done  man," 
and  there  was  a  report  of  a  revolver  in  the  cabin. 
Butterfield  had  flung  himself  to  the  floor  right 
against  Alston's  legs  to  which  he  clung  like  an 
imp. 

"We're  ten  to  two,"  cried  a  voice  from  the 
doorway.  We've  nabbed  you,  man."  Alston 
let  the  butt  of  his  weapon  fall  viciously  on  Butter- 
field's  head,  and  pointed  and  fired  at  the  speaker. 

There  was  a  laugh  and  an  oath,  as  the  door 
banged.  "  Reckon  we  won't  spoil  sport, "  shouted 
a  deep  voice.  "  Glad  for  you  to  have  the  cabin. 
So  long." 

"Jude,  by  heavens!"  exclaimed  Alston,  and 
suddenly  disentangled  the  shrimp  from  his  foot 
with  a  twist.  He  was  his  own  master  again, 
after  that  one  fell  flash  of  diabolic  frenzy. 


236  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  So  you  had  me,  old  man, "  he  remarked  coolly. 
"Get  on  your  legs,  and  I'll  knock  the  sawdust 
out  of  you." 

Butterfield  wriggled  in  his  grasp,  ineffectually, 
but  regarded  him  quietly  enough,  with  as  much 
self-possession  as  his  captor. 

"Reckon  this  is  war,  but  I  didn't  break  my 
parole,"  he  remarked  puffing. 

"I  guess  it  is,"  said  Alston  with  significance, 
"  and  war  according  to  Montana  rules.  It's  shoot 
on  sight,  Butterfield,  and  you  chew  that  sonny. 
You're  smart,  and  earn  your  dime  a  day,  I  dare- 
say, but  Wilson  Rudgwick's  going  to  go  short 
of  a  man,  when  you  tumble  up  against  me.  You 
got  a  family,  sonny?" 

"I  got  a  girl  in  Philadelphia,"  said  Butter- 
field. 

"  Wilson'U  have  to  put  up  masses  for  the  father- 
less then,  I  guess.  I'm  not  going  to  be  jockeyed 
out  of  this.  There's  been  too  much  monkeying 
about.  We've  been  sort  of  playing  see-saw,  and 
I'm  tired.  No,  git." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Butterfield,  for 
he  had  jerked  a  pistolled  hand  at  the  door. 

"  Oh,  I  wasn't  going  to  shoot  you ;  never  fear. 
I've  got  more  use  than  that  for  you.  It's  some- 
one else  is  going  to  do  that, "  he  said  deliberately. 
He  strode  to  the  door,  a  masterful  man,  and 
opened  it  slightly.  The  stars  in  heaven  peeped 


THE  PRIVATEERS  237 

in  by  that  aperture,  and  revealed  a  figure  close 
by.  The  released  crew  had  taken  a  leaf  out  of 
our  book.  The  tables  were  indeed  turned.  Al- 
ston closed  the  door  softly. 

"  It  stands  to  reason  that  if  I'm  potted  I  lose 
the  game,"  he  said.  "Consequently  I'm  not 
going  to  be  potted.  If  anyone  is  to  be  potted 
it's  you.  See,  Butterfield?  Kerslake,  get  your 
pinfire.  Now,  Butterfield,  open  that  door  and 
git,  but  git  slowly.  Stay,  I'll  have  a  cinch  on 
you." 

So  saying  he  opened  a  drawer,  took  out  a  ball 
of  twine,  and  cut  off  a  long  piece,  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  tie  about  his  victim's  arms.  I  now 
began  to  see  his  drift,  but  I  did  not  like  it.  He 
designed  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  enemy, 
using  Butterfield  as  a  shield  and  buckler.  It 
was  a  dashing  idea,  but  it  was  foolhardy.  They 
were  ten  in  number,  and  some  of  them  no  doubt 
were  armed.  They  were  not  particular  in  their 
methods,  as  we  had  already  proof.  What  chance 
had  we  against  them? 

Butterfield  hesitated.  He  had  plenty  of  cour- 
age in  that  withered  little  unhealthy  frame, 
but  he  shrank  from  the  ignominy  of  that 
vicarious  death.  Alston's  blue  eyes  were  like 
steel.  He  tapped  his  man  meaningly  on  the 
shoulder. 

"They  will  shoot,"  said  Miss  Lovell  in  dis- 


238  THE  PRIVATEERS 

tress.  Her  face  in  the  electric  light  was  dead 
white,  and  her  eyes  were  full  of  terror.  "Oh, 
will  they  shoot?" 

"We're  not  going  to  be  troubled  much,"  said 
Alston. 

"It  won't  do,"  said  I.     "We've  no  chance." 

"See  here,  Kerslake, "  he  replied  sharply. 
"What's  this  fool  nonsense  about  chances?  I 
haven't  but  a  hair  of  a  chance  anyway.  She's 
putting  round,  I  guess,  for  Rudgwick,  and  you'll 
see  me  sailing  right  up  to  Wilson  like  a  dandy 
boy,  will  you?"  he  sneered.  "  'Come  aboard, 
sir,  to  take  my  gruel.'  No;  I'll  be  damned  if  I 
will.  If  I've  got  no  chance  I'm  going  to  make  a 
chance,  and  I'm  making  it  right  now.  Buck  up, 
sonny,"  he  addressed  Butterfield.  "You're  go- 
ing to  your  friends,  and  can  call  out  and  tell 
'em  so,  if  you're  inclined." 

Butterfield  made  no  protest;  he  cast  a  measur- 
ing glance  askew  at  me,  his  dark  face  fallen  into 
corrugations,  and  his  eyes  in  nests  of  wrinkles; 
and  then  he  obeyed  his  taskmaster.  Alston 
gently  turned  the  handle  of  the  cabin  door,  and 
pushed  his  prisoner  to  the  fore. 

"Say,  boys,  it's  me,  and  there's  pistols  behind 
me,"  cried  Butterfield  suddenly. 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Alston,  and  drew  a 
sight  over  the  little  man's  shoulder.  "I've  cor- 
nered you,  Jude,"  he  called.  'Guess  you  better 


"Fire  belched  across  Butterfield's  shoulder" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  239 

go  back  to  your  cabin  and  take  it  easy.  This 
here  strenuous  life's  up  against  you." 

For  answer  a  revolver  cracked,  and  Alston 
uttered  an  oath. 

"That's  not  bad,  Jude,  a  daisy-cutter  through 
my  curls.  It  makes  up  for  the  finger-joint. 
Well,  how's  that?" 

Fire  belched  across  Butterfield's  shoulder,  and 
there  was  a  noise  of  a  fall  in  the  darkness.  "  Three 
inches  above  the  ankle, — that  should  be,"  he 
added  cheerfully. 

There  was  a  gruff  short  laugh  out  of  the  dark- 
ness which  had  thickened  perceptibly.  The  sa- 
vour of  approaching  rain  was  in  the  nostrils.  As 
for  me  I  stood  like  a  fool  by  Alston  resolved  to 
take  no  foolish  risks,  such  as  he  seemed  bent  on 
taking,  but  equally  determined  to  use  my  weapon 
if  I  were  attacked. 

Butterfield,  projected  in  an  undignified  ad- 
vance, served  as  a  buckler  to  my  companion,  who 
was  now  silent,  as  were  the  enemy.  He  moved  amid- 
ships, and  I  followed.  Butterfield  alone  broke  the 
stillness,  talking  volubly,  clearly  with  the  design 
to  acquaint  his  friends  with  our  whereabouts. 

"Drop  that,  little  man,  or  I'll  fling  you  over- 
board," threatened  Alston  at  last. 

"We're  not  pinning  much  on  Nathaniel  But- 
terfield," exclaimed  the  skipper's  voice.  "We'll 
let  her  go  on  chance." 


240  THE  PRIVATEERS 

My  head  struck  the  boom  of  the  foresail  at 
that  moment,  and  I  put  out  an  arm,  clutched 
Alston  and  dragged  him  down;  and  all  three  of 
us  fell  in  a  coil  on  the  deck.  Simultaneously 
reports  rang  out,  but  nothing  touched  us. 

"They  mean  business,"  whispered  Alston." 
"Where  the  devil's  that  little  skunk?"  But 
Butterfield  was  gone,  having  wriggled  himself 
free.  "  I've  a  mind  to  try  a  pot  shot, "  went  on 
Alston  in  the  same  undertone.  "  But  I  won't. 
He's  served  his  purpose.  Do  you  know  the  hang 
of  this  blamed  boat?" 

I  whispered  back  where  we  lay,  and  he  began 
to  crawl  noiselessly  forward.  I  followed  him. 
A  small  rain  now  had  begun  to  fall. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  FIGHT  IN  THE  DARK 

THE  schooner  was  enveloped  in  darkness  and 
silence,  and  we  made  our  way  without  interfer- 
ence towards  the  foremast,  taking  shelter  by  the 
high  pole.  The  boom  creaked  and  a  full  wind 
occupied  the  canvas  overhead. 

"  Got  any  cartridges?"  whispered  Alston. 

"Four,"  I  returned. 

"  Good !"  said  he.     "  Let's  await  events." 

The  rain  drizzled  steadily  for  ten  minutes  or 
more  and  we  were  getting  uncomfortably  wet, 
before  we  heard  any  news  of  the  enemy.  Then 
we  observed  a  light  going  about  on  the  after 
deck. 

"  Someone,  like  Diogenes,  looking  for  an  honest 
man, "  remarked  Alston.  "  He  won't  find  much 
in  this  crew  of  Wilson's  unless  he  finds  us,  and 
we've  got  to  stop  him."  The  lantern  went  down 
the  port  side,  and  disappeared  behind  the  fore- 
sail, leaving  only  a  glimmer  through  the  canvas 
Then  it  emerged  to  the  bows. 

Alston  nudged  me.  The  man  with  the  lantern 
stopped  and  approached  the  mast.  Alston's  re- 

241 


242  THE  PRIVATEERS 

volver  cracked,  and  the  lantern  went  out  with  a 
crash. 

"Damn  it,  I  thought  I'd  got  Jude, "  he  whis- 
pered to  me,  "but  he's  as  large  as  life  and  twice  as 
nasty."  I  put  my  hand  to  silence  him,  for  the 
loom  of  a  figure  rose  against  the  night  and  the 
bulwarks. 

"  Gosh,  we'll  have  him,  anyway,"  he  said,  and 
suddenly  leapt  like  a  panther. 

The  man  went  down  without  a  sound,  for  the 
rain  was  roaring  loud  in  the  sails  now,  and  filled 
the  ears  with  noise.  I  felt  my  way  to  Alston,  and 
he  set  his  mouth  to  my  face. 

"Aren't  we  close  by  the  hatchway?"  he  called. 
"  Shove  him  down." 

The  hatch  of  the  forecastle,  indeed,  was  near 
at  hand,  and  we  bundled  the  unfortunate  captive 
forthright  through  the  opening,  drawing  the  cov- 
ering tight,  and  securing  it. 

One!"  said  Alston  to  my  ear;  and  began  to 
scramble  off  towards  the  stern  like  a  black  spider. 
The  rain  drummed,  and  the  sea  spurned  over  the 
side  of  the  schooner  as  she  dipped  in  the  rising 
sea;  and  we  were  both  of  us  drenched.  There 
was  something  grotesque  in  the  situation.  Here 
we  were,  two  prisoners  on  a  hostile  boat  with  ten 
or  twelve  hands,  and  we  designed  to  capture  them 
and  seize  it.  Our  only  ally  was  the  black  night, 
unless  to  that  be  added  the  beat  of  the  rain  which 


THE  PRIVATEERS  243 

drowned  other  noises,  and  prevented  them  from 
discovering  our  whereabouts. 

About  midships  the  boom  came  slowly  across 
and  grazed  my  shoulder,  and  at  the  same  time 
Alston  grappled  someone.  I  was  aware  of  the 
struggle  that  went  on  beside  me,  but  I  could  be  of 
no  assistance  owing  to  the  darkness  and  the  im- 
possibility of  determining  friend  from  enemy. 
But  presently  I  heard  his  voice. 

"Two!"  he  cried,  and  triumph  and  breathless- 
ness  rang  in  his  voice.  "Say,  Kerslake,  this  is 
better  than  the  first  act,  eh?  Get  a  hold  of  him. 
We'll  fling  him  after  his  companion."  He  had 
hardly  spoken  before  something  out  of  the  rigging 
struck  him  to  the  deck.  It  fell  heavy  and  black, 
but  as  it  were  misshapen — an  imp,  a  monkey.  I 
put  out  my  arms  and  grabbed  it,  and  it  struggled 
with  me  with  ferocity,  astride  of  Alston,  who  in 
his  turn  pinned  his  victim  under  his  weight. 

"  Hutchins,  man — get  a  move  on  you!"  shrilled 
a  voice,  and  it  was  a  voice  I  recognised.  "Say, 
work  up,  man." 

It  was  Butterfield,  the  shrimp,  Butterfield  the 
devoted,  at  work  for  his  "boss."  Underneath 
Alston  the  man,  Hutchins,  was  reviving  his  strug- 
gles, but  I  had  Butterfield  by  the  middle  and  was 
squeezing  him. 

"I'll  look  after  him,  if  you'll  keep  your  man," 
I  shouted  to  Alston,  and  he  understood,  for, 


244  THE  PRIVATEERS 

abandoning  any  attempt  to  get  rid  of  the  monkey 
on  his  back  he  devoted  his  attention  to  the  man 
under  him. 

My  muscles  from  long  apprenticeship  were  in 
full  training,  and  they  contracted  on  Butterfield's 
ribs.  He  stood  it  as  long  as  it  was  in  human 
nature  to  stand  the  terrible  constriction,  and  then 
made  a  feeble  movement  of  surrender.  I  relaxed 
and  drew  him  off  Alston  whose  victim  was  once 
more  quiet. 

"  I  guess — you — can  crack  nuts  "  panted  Butter- 
field. 

"I  can  crack  monkey-nuts  at  all  events,"  I 
replied  in  a  flight  of  whimsy. 

It  was  all  so  mad ;  it  was  preposterous ;  and  yet 
we  had  three  men  of  that  crew  now. 

"Seems  like  old  times,"  laughed  Alston  as  we 
stole  along  the  side  of  the  schooner  with  our 
prisoners.  We  secured  them  with  the  other,  and 
started  out  again.  I  knew  we  were  marching  on 
doom,  but  Alston  was  fey.  The  lust  of  battle 
possessed  him.  A  light  flashed  half  a  dozen  yards 
away,  and  almost  with  the  first  flash  it  was  out 
and  the  glass  was  splintering  on  the  deck. 

"  She  showed  flame,  so  we'd  better  move, "  said 
Alston,  putting  up  his  revolver.  "  I  guess  that's 
Jude  again.  It's  only  Jude  that  would  dare  that. 
I  shot  him  once,  and  I'll  shoot  him  again  if  need  be, 
but  I  guess  his  lantern's  a  better  mark." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  245 

He  was  in  high  spirits,  and  it  almost  seemed 
that  his  monstrous  audacity  and  confidence  would 
carry  us  through.  We  crept  aft  again,  and  then 
of  a  sudden  a  rush  of  feet,  pounding  on  the  deck, 
sounded  even  above  the  rain.  They  came  at  us 
in  a  body,  and  Alston  put  his  back  to  the  deck- 
house which  we  had  reached. 

"It's  real  suicide,  Jude,"  he  shouted;  and  even 
as  he  would  have  shot  (and  I  cannot  guess  with 
what  results)  he  staggered  backwards,  and  clutched 
at  me.  Taken  by  surprise  I  too  yielded  and  went 
backwards.  I  had  a  vague  impression  of  striking 
against  something  several  times,  and  of  pain  and 
confusion.  When  I  was  at  rest  and  had  fully  re- 
covered I  found  I  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  com- 
panion ladder,  lying  on  Alston,  with  an  aching 
head.  I  got  to  my  feet  with  difficulty,  and  groped 
about  in  the  darkness.  I  poked  Alston  in  the 
body,  and  he  groaned.  Then  I  extracted  a  match 
from  my  pocket  and  struck  it.  It  flared  feebly 
on  the  small  saloon  into  which  we  had  fallen,  and 
which  in  my  early  survey  of  the  schooner  I  had 
noted  as  additional  to  the  staterooms  on  deck. 
Alston  came  to  in  the  flicker  of  the  light,  and  sat 
up. 

"  I  never  guessed  Jude  was  as  mighty  quick  as 
that, "  he  observed. 

"  It  wasn't  Jude, "  said  I.  "  You  fell  down  the 
companion  ladder  and  pulled  me  with  you." 


246  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Oh!"  he  remarked,  taking  this  in,  and  then 
slowly  rose  to  his  feet.  "  There  should  be  a  light 
somewhere  about.  Wilson  fitted  out  his  yacht 
as  smart  as  he  knew.  Guess  there's  electric 
fittings  somewhere." 

I  struck  another  match,  and  looked  about.  A 
switch  caught  my  eye  and  I  put  it  down ;  instantly 
a  bright  point  of  light  illuminated  the  saloon.  I 
pressed  another  switch,  and  we  were  in  full 
radiance." 

"  Let's  see  the  amount  of  damage,"  said  Alston, 
seating  himself.  He  passed  his  hands  over  his 
legs  and  body.  "  Not  even  a  rib  gone.  We  fell 
pretty  easy,  Kerslake,  though  seems  to  me  you 
had  the  better  berth. "  He  laughed.  "  How's  your 
head?  Mine's  like  hot  iron."  He  got  up  and 
went  to  the  foot  of  the  stairway  and  slowly  climbed 
to  the  top,  when  he  was  confronted  by  the  shut 
door.  He  tried  the  handle,  but  the  door  would 
not  give.  It  had  been  locked. 

Alston  came  back.  "That  came  mighty  near 
coming  off,  but  it  didn't,"  he  observed.  "And 
like  so  many  good  things  an  accident  bungled  it. 
I  guess  that  fixes  us."  He  stared  at  me  with 
unseeing  eyes,  a  frown  on  his  forehead,  and  re- 
peated his  words  presently.  "  I  guess  that  fixes 
us,"  with  a  short  laugh.  His  fingers  worked 
nervously  in  a  clenched  fist,  and  he  was  oblivious 
of  my  pressure.  From  first  to  last  Herbert 


THE  PRIVATEERS  247 

Pordyce  Alston  was  the  most  self-centred  man  I 
have  ever  encountered.  He  sat  for  ten  minutes, 
wrapped  in  thought,  and  hardly  changing  his 
expression;  nor  did  he  move  when  I  rose  and  be- 
gan an  examination  of  the  saloon  and  the  cabins 
that  opened  off  it.  I  had  just  made  a  discovery 
in  a  larder  when  I  heard  Alston's  voice  behind  me. 
It  rang  out  quite  cheerfully,  and  as  if  he  had  not 
made  his  last  cast  and  lost. 

"What  you  got  there,  Kerslake?  Gosh,  that's 
good  hearing."  I  guess  I'm  an  hungered  and  I 
shouldn't  mind  something  to  drink.  I've  a 
drowth  on,  now  I  come  to  think  of  it.  Say,  does 
your  head  ache  any?" 

I  extracted  from  the  larder  some  cold  food  and 
a  bottle  of  whiskey.  "  I  think  we've  both  earned 
a  drink,"  I  remarked.  He  nodded,  poured  a  little 
spirit  into  the  glass  I  had  fetched  and  diluted  it 
with  plenty  of  water. 

"Here's  now,"  he  remarked  genially. 

His  cheerfulness  was  unabashed  even  in  that 
great  downfall  of  his  fortunes,  and  I  will  confess 
that  I  marvelled  at  the  man.  I  drank  in  recog- 
nition of  his  toast,  and  we  ate  a  little  of  the  food. 

"I  guess  we're  fixed,  Lieutenant,"  he  said  once 
more.  "We're  part  of  Wilson's  cargo  now,  only 
they  don't  pay  freight  on  us.  Come  to  think  of 
it  Wilson's  paid  himself."  He  showed  his  even 
white  teeth  in  a  pleasant  smile,  and  took  another 


248  THE  PRIVATEERS 

sip  of  his  whiskey.  He  glanced  about  him.  "He 
does  himself  well.  Wilson's  a  sybarite  out  of 
business  hours,  but  he'll  sit  on  a  high  stool  from 
nine  till  five.  If  he'd  had  imagination  and  could 
see  things  that  wasn't  there  he'd  have  gone  far. 
But  he  can  only  see  things  under  his  nose,  and 
then  he  goes  for  them  like  a  bull-dog.  You  see, 
he's  a  sort  of  Britisher,  and  you  do  lay  hold  when 
you  bite.  Still  I'm  not  going  to  promise  that 
Wilson  Rudgwick  isn't  going  to  get  left  someday. " 
His  face  sank  into  thought,  from  which  he  was 
disturbed  only  by  my  rising.  I  opened  one  of 
the  port-holes,  and  the  sea  broke  in  our  ears.  I 
became  conscious  of  my  soaked  clothes,  and  then 
I  thought  of  Sylvia  Lovell  above. 

She  was  safe;  she  would  have  remained  in  her 
cabin  in  complete  security,  for  the  issues  of  this 
fight  did  not  concern  her,  although  it  raged  about 
her.  Alston  spoke  at  last. 

"I'm  going  to  turn  in,"  said  he.  "I  reckon 
I've  fairly  earned  my  sleep." 

"We  both  have,"  I  replied,  "and  I'll  follow 
your  example." 

It  was  not  ten  minutes  before  he  was  snugly  en- 
sconced in  one  of  the  bunks.  I  do  not  know  if  he 
slept  soon  or  well,  but  I  did,  and  the  last  in  my 
thoughts  ere  I  slept  was  the  girl  who,  I  hoped, 
slumbered  peacefully  on  deck. 

The  summer  dawn  came  soon,  but  it  was  about 


THE  PRIVATEERS  249 

six  o'clock  when  I  awoke,  and  I  only  awoke  then 
because  of  an  unwonted  noise.     Getting  out  of 
my  bunk  I  pushed  my  head  out  of  the  door  and 
looked  into  the  cabin.     Butterfield  stood  on  the 
stairway,  and  was  calling. 

"Mr.  Alston!    Mr.  Alston!" 

I  threw  my  clothes  on  and  emerged  to  find 
Alston  already  there. 

"Well,  my  dandy  boy,"  he  said  cheerfully  to 
Butterfield.  "  Now,  what's  to  prevent  my  putting 
a  hole  through  you,"  and  he  brought  out  his 
revolver.-  "  I  must  say  you  have  brass  standing 
there  in  that  inviting,  not  to  say  provocative, 
attitude." 

Little  Butterfield  did  not  display  alarm.  "All 
right,  boss,"  he  said.  "  Only  make  it  after  break- 
fast. Say,  would  you  gentlemen  like  breakfast? 
Maybe  you're  hungry  after  the  exercise  of  last 
night." 

"Maybe  we  are.  I  could  do  with  something 
hot,  and  there's  only  cold  stuff  in  this  larder,"  said 
Alston.  "Say,  my  dandy,  what's  the  matter 
with  Jude  inviting  us  to  breakfast?" 

Butterfield  looked  doubtful.  "Oh,"  went  on 
Alston  reassuringly.  "  We  won't  make  any  fuss. 
See,  we're  willing  to  give  our  parole,  eh,  Mr. 
Kerslake,  and  as  an  earnest  of  that  here's  my 
barker,  Butterfield.  You  take  it  along  to  Jude. 
It's  peace,  d'ye  see.  We've  tried  and  we  let  up 


250  THE  PRIVATEERS 

on  it.  See?  Now  make  tracks  and  tell  Jude 
I'd  like  to  have  a  talk  with  him.  He's  got  the 
bulge  on  us.  Let's  talk." 

Butterneld  nodded,  and  left  us,  taking  Alston's 
revolver,  and  locking  the  door  at  the  top  of  the 
staircase.  During  his  absence  Alston  went  about 
whistling,  and  jesting,  and  making  small  talk  for 
all  the  world  like  a  man  who  has  got  what  he 
wanted  and  is  indifferent  to  what  the  future  may 
have  in  store. 

Presently  Butterneld  returned  and  flung  wide 
the  door. 

"Mr.  Alston!"  he  called  out  in  an  usher-like 
way,  and  Alston  stepped  briskly  forward,  not  by 
any  means  as  one  going  to  execution,  not  even  as 
one  on  his  way  to  see  the  doctor.  It  struck  me  as 
a  little  odd  that  I  was  so  completely  ignored  in 
these  interchanges,  and  yet  it  was  perhaps  natural 
that  so  self-centred  and  masterful  a  person  as 
Alston  should  dominate  the  situation.  If  anyone 
were  to  arrange  the  terms  of  a  peace,  or  a  truce, 
it  was  certainly  he  that  should  do  so ;  but  here 
was  I  left  out  of  the  parole,  so  to  speak,  and  re- 
volver in  hand,  though  I  admit  that  it  was  by  now 
not  a  very  formidable  weapon. 

He  was  absent  a  good  hour,  and  in  the  mean- 
time Butterneld  served  me  with  breakfast  in 
his  friendly  manner. 

"  Say,  Lieutenant,"  he  volunteered.     "  You  got 


THE  PRIVATEERS  251 

mighty  strong  arms.  I  guess  I'm  pretty  well  bit 
through  like  a  wasp.  Gosh,  I  feel  sore."  He 
meditatively  felt  himself,  after  putting  a  dish  on 
the  table. 

"I'm  sorry,  Butterfield,"  said  I.  "But  you 
would  ask  for  it,  and  I'm  an  obliging  man." 

He  felt  my  biceps  admiringly.  "  Gosh,  it's  hard. 
Guess  I'd  have  thought  twice  before  I  would  have 
come  on  you  if  I'd  known." 

"You  cannot  respect  my  physical  powers,"  I 
said  politely,  "as  vastly  as  I  respect  your  mental 
powers.  I  understand  it  is  to  you  we  owe  this 
revolution." 

Butterfield  looked  modest.  "I  reckon  it 
might  be  considered  so  in  a  kind  of  way,"  he 
admitted. 

"Come,  I'm  anxious  to  know  how  you  managed 
it , "  I  asked .  His  alert  eyes  flashed  on  me  humour- 
ously. "Guess.  I'd  like  to  know  how  you  man- 
aged at  the  chateau,"  he  said. 

"It's  a  bargain,"  said  I. 

Butterfield  trimmed  his  nails,  for  in  spite  of  his 
ugliness  he  was  a  man  of  neat  mind.  "It  was 
just  luck,"  he  asserted.  "Maybe  we  would  have 
gone  a  fortnight  and  the  chance  never  come.  But 
it  just  did  come.  I  fixed  up  to  do  that  omelette 
for  you,  Lieutenant,  same  as  I  did  before,  and  I 
guessed  I'd  have  to  make  tracks  for  the  eggs. 
That  took  me  forward.  See?  Well,  there  was  the 


252  THE  PRIVATEERS 

luck.  Alston  was  too  mighty  confident  that 
time,  and  he  wasn't  thinking  too  much  of  Nathan- 
iel Butterfield.  According  to  his  move  then  I 
guess  Nathaniel  Butterfield  didn't  amount  to 
much.  And  so  I  got  the  chance.  I  passed  down 
the  hatchway  a  bit  of  paper,  just  setting  out  the 
facts.  They  fancied  they  were  seized  by  a  full 
sized  crew.  Eight  ablebodied  men  are  not  going 
to  knuckle  under  when  they  learn  there's  only 
two  on  sentry-go,  and  four  in  all.  So  that  fixed 
the  rising.  And  as  I'd  named  a  time,  when  that 
uproar  broke  out  your  sentry  took  a  flurry,  and 
I  guess  he  lost  his  nerves  and  forgot  the  skipper 
and  Taylor.  And  that's  pretty  much  all." 

It  sounded  very  simple,  and  I  wondered  that 
we  had  not  anticipated  such  a  rising.  But  it  was 
the  ingenious  detail  that  took  my  attention, 
and  the  irony  of  the  fact  that  both  Butterfield 
and  I  on  our  respective  occasions,  owed  a  debt 
to  his  omelette.  It  was  with  a  certain  satisfaction 
that  I  told  him  so.  He  stared. 

"Now,  that's  very  very  interesting,"  he  pro- 
nounced. "Gosh!  To  think  of  you  getting  the 
bulge  on  me  with  my  own  omelette!  Well, 
Lieutenant,  I  guess  we  can  shake  on  that  and 
cry  quits." 

When  Alston  returned  he  was  in  a  subdued 
mood,  but  still  fairly  cheerful. 

"I've  given  parole,"  he  informed  me,  "and  you 


THE  PRIVATEERS  253 

can  do  likewise,  if  you  feel  so  disposed.  We've 
played  our  trumps  and  got  left;  and  it's  no  use 
making  bones  about  it." 

What  was  he  going  to  do?  He  had  appeared 
so  determined,  and  now  was  he  to  resign  himself 
to  Rudgwick?  It  did  not  seem  consistent  with 
his  character. 

"Perhaps,  you'll  be  good  enough,  then,  to  ac- 
quaint me  with  the  programme,"  I  said  bluntly. 

He  glanced  at  me.  "  We've  played  pretty  hard 
to  win,"  he  said,  "and  we  deserved  to  win,  but 
Fate's  up  against  us.  It's  now  a  case  of  a  deal 
with  Rudgwick." 

"  Oh,"  said  I.     "  You  will  come  to  terms." 

"That's  about  the  size  of  it,"  he  answered  re- 
flectively. "I  don't  carry  enough  guns  on  this 
trip,  as  you  can  see.  I  guess  I'll  settle." 

"Oh,  very  well,"  said  I,  feeling  somehow  very 
chagrined,  yet  aware  that  he  had  reason  on  his 
side. 

"And  that  being  so,"  he  pursued,  taking  a  seat 
and  speaking  very  amiably,  "all  that  I  can  do 
is  to  return  thanks  to  you  for  all  you've  done, 
and " 

"And  take  the  ship  out  of  commission,"  I  put 
in  dryly. 

"  That's  a  technical  way  of  putting  it,"  he  smiled 
at  me.  "Though  nothing  I  can  say  would  carry 
my  appreciation  of  your  assistance  far  enough." 


254  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"You  must  not  forget,"  I  told  him,  "exactly 
with  what  motives  I  have  assisted." 

"No,"  he  said  deliberately.  "But  I'm  not 
pinning  much  on  them.  I'm  treating  it  from  my 
point  of  view." 

"As  long  as  we  understand  each  other's  points 
of  view,  we  shan't  blunder,"  I  said  firmly,  "and 
I  want  you  to  understand  mine.  You're  going 
to  make  a  concession  to  Rudgwick  to  overcome 
his — let  me  say  opposition  to  your  marriage.  It 
looks  as  if  I  should  have  you  both  on  my  hands." 

He  looked  positively  startled.  "How  so?"  he 
asked. 

"At  present  he  and  I  both  object  to  this  mar- 
riage," I  said,  "and  you're  going  to  convert  him." 

He  laughed.  "Oh,  we'll  get  along,  together, 
you  and  I,  Kerslake,"  he  said.  "You'll  be  best 
man  for  me,  before  we're  done." 

"I  won't  make  any  prophecies,"  I  answered 
as  pleasantly  as  he.  "  Only  it  appears  tome  that 
we're  beginning  the  third  act  now." 

He  pondered.     "And  last,"  he  added. 

"  There  are  usually  four  acts  in  a  serious  drama," 
I  reminded  him. 

"  But  three  in  a  farce,"  said  he  lightly.  "  May- 
be this  is  a  farce." 

"It's  a  queer  piece,  at  any  rate,"  said  I,  "and 
has  involved  tragedy." 

"Oh,  I  guess  Wilson's  fixed  up  weeds  for  the 


THE  PRIVATEERS  255 

widows,"  he  remarked  indifferently,  rising  to  go. 
At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  he  paused.  "If  I  were 
you  I'd  give  my  parole,  Kerslake.  It  will  be 
more  comfortable." 

" Certainly,"  I  said.  "I'm  not  a  fool,  and  shall 
get  no  good  of  the  sulks.  I'm  with  you." 

I  accompanied  him  to  the  deck,  where  my 
blear-eyed  friend  was  in  waiting.  I  held  out  my 
revolver.  "Take  this  to  the  captain  with  my 
compliments,"  I  said  cheerfully. 

The  man  grinned  as  he  took  it,  and  I  strode 
after  Alston,  who  went  to  the  deck  house. 

"Well,  here's  two  of  us,  Jude,"  he  called  out. 
"  Fetch  her  along,  smart  now.  Time's  valuable." 

The  skipper's  red  face  was  thrust  out  of  a  door, 
grave  and  observant. 

"Come  along,  gentlemen,"  he  thundered  in  his 
big  bass  voice.  "Come  in  and  have  a  tot  of 
rum." 

We  buried  the  hatchet  under  that  tot,  and  then 
I  left  the  two,  and  went  out.  The  schooner 
spread  all  her  canvas,  and  was  footing  it  merrily. 
At  this  rate  we  should  soon  be  at  Quiberon  or 
wherever  it  was  on  that  coast  we  were  bound  for. 
The  door  of  the  state-rooms  stood  secured  ajar, 
and  I  knocked  on  it,  in  obedience  to  an  impulse. 
As  I  did  so  I  remembered  that  Sylvia  Lovell's 
name  had  not  been  mentioned  in  our  conver- 
sation in  the  saloon. 


256  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Her  face  appeared  in  the  aperture,  and  she 
opened  the  door,  a  flash  of  something  I  could  not 
interpret  in  her  expression. 

"You  were  not  hurt  then?"  she  asked  quickly. 

"No,  we  are  both  unharmed,  "  I  said,  "which 
perhaps  is  more  than  we  deserve.  It  was  smart 
business." 

"  It  was  very  brave, "  she  answered  quickly.  " 

"Mr.  Alston  is  nothing  if  not  courageous,"  I 
replied,  and  I  asked  how  she  had  fared.  Beyond 
the  alarm  and  excitement  incidental  to  the 
struggle  she  was  all  right.  No  one  had  molested 
her. 

There  fell  a  pause  between  us,  and  a  pause  of 
some  embarrassment.  Trouble  was  in  the  eyes 
that  she  dropped,  for  I  suppose  we  both  were 
thinking  of  my  outbreak  to  her. 

"  Mr.  Alston  will  have  told  you  that  everything 
is  over  now,"  I  began  awkwardly. 

"Everything  over?"  she  stammered.  "No,  I 
have  not  seen  him.  I  was  wondering —  " 

"  That  he  had  not  come.  He  has  been  very 
busy,  doubtless,  settling  matters  with  the  cap- 
tain." I  said  this,  though  in  private  I  was 
amazed  that  he  had  not  made  time  to  see  her. 
That  would  have  been  my  first  consideration. 

"  I  meant  I  was  wondering  what  you  were  doing 
— how  you  were  free,"  she  explained. 

" Oh!"  I  told  her.     " Mr.  Alston  is  to  make  his 


THE  PRIVATEERS  257 

peace  with  Rudgwick,  and  you  will  be  free  from 
persecution." 

41  He  has  given  in?"  she  asked  wondering. 

"Yes." 

Her  face  wondered  still.  She  looked  seaward; 
and  then  Alston's  voice  issued  from  behind  me. 

"Say,  Sylvia,  it  would  be  very  nice  if  you 
would  ask  us  both  in." 

I  turned  and  encountered  his  quizzical  look. 
He  never  forgot  his  manners. 

"  Of — of  course,"  stammered  the  girl.  "  Won't 
you  come  in?" 


CHAPTER  XV 

AT    THE    "PETITS   OlSEAUX" 

WE  made  the  land  late  in  the  afternoon  after  a 
brisk  voyage.  Alston  vanished  from  the  state- 
rooms very  shortly  after  lunch,  and  I  think  he  was 
closeted  with  the  skipper.  The  latter  was  a 
formidable  sort  of  man,  who  possessed  in  addition 
to  his  big  voice  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  and  a  thirsty 
throat.  His  drink  affected  him  not  at  all,  as  far 
as  I  could  see,  but  I  knew  that  he  resorted  con- 
stantly to  the  bottle,  and  was  glad  of  a  crony. 
Alston  and  he  visited  the  cabin  several  times,  and 
once  or  twice  in  passing  the  door  I  caught  the 
clink  of  glasses.  Alston  I  had  discovered  to  be 
the  most  temperate  of  men,  and  so  I  attributed  the 
sound  to  the  captain.  I  spent  the  best  of  the 
afternoon  on  deck,  although  I  used  the  saloon  on 
occasions,  finding  there  a  book  or  a  magazine 
with  which  to  while  away  the  time.  The  prospect 
discontented  me,  for  it  seemed  to  presage  an 
abrupt  termination  of  my  adventure.  Indeed 
the  events  of  the  day  put  me,  as  it  were,  out  of  the 
reckoning,  exiled  me  from  the  considerations 

258 


THE  PRIVATEERS  259 

involving  the  remaining  three  of  the  chief  person- 
ages in  our  drama. 

The  loom  of  the  coast  was  apparent  about 
four  o'clock  when  I  stood  in  the  forecastle,  busy 
with  my  thoughts;  and  here  Butterfield  came 
across  me. 

"Guess  you'll  be  glad  to  get  back  home, 
Lieutenant, "  said  he. 

"Why,"  said  I  shortly,  "do  you  think  you're 
going  to  be  rid  of  me  easily? " 

"Oh,  I  can't  say  it's  been  easy,"  he  rejoined. 

"  Anyway, "  I  said,  "  you  may  be  able  to  tell  me 
where  we  fetch  up. ' ' 

"  I  calculate  we  should  strike  the  boss  at 
Quiberon. " 

"  And  why  Quiberon? "  I  asked. 

"Well,  I  couldn't  fix  it  nearer,"  he  replied, 
"when  you  got  away  I  was  just  about  to  signal 
him  that  maybe  something  would  be  turning  up ; 
and  so  I  guess  he's  left  his  tracks  about  the  coast 
somewhere. " 

" Oh!"  said  I  feeling  an  increased  respect  for  so 
far-seeing  and  successful  a  plotter.  "So  we've 
broken  on  you. " 

He  modestly  disclaimed  the  compliment.  "  It 
was  my  fault  you  got  away,  and  I  had  to  make  up 
for  it.  I've  just  pulled  through. " 

However  it  was  looked  at  he  had  won  the 
trick,  and  the  thought  was  not  pleasant,  nor  was  it 


260  THE  PRIVATEERS 

even  pleasant  to  reflect  that  Alston  was  talcing 
it,  as  the  phrase  runs,  "lying  down."  It  was 
uncanny.  Miss  Lovell  surprised  me  deep  in  these 
musings. 

"Are  you — are  we  near  land?"  she  asked 
timidly.  I  pointed  to  the  far  horizon.  "Brit- 
tany's there,"  I  said.  She  contemplated  the 
distance  in  silence,  and  then, 

"  Shall  we  be  there  soon? "  she  inquired. 

"  In  a  couple  of  hours  if  we  keep  on  this  course. 
But  I'm  not  in  the  secrets  of  the  captain — or  even 
of  Mr.  Alston." 

She  glanced  at  me  with  a  puzzled  expression, 
and  bit  her  lip.  "You  say  that — "  she  began 
and  stopped.  "Why  do  you  say  that?"  she 
asked. 

"  Because, "  I  replied,  "  Mr.  Alston  has  changed 
his  plans.  He  has  refused  to  yield  to  the  exac- 
tions of  a  pirate,  which  meant  practical  blackmail, 
for  more  than  a  week,  and  now  he  is  beaten  to  his 
knees  and  yields  with  a  smile. " 

"  He  yields  for  my  sake, "  she  said  indignantly. 

"He  should  have  done  that  sooner  then,"  I 
said,  "  and  saved  you  all  this  pain  and  distress. " 

She  was  silent,  and,  feeling  a  little  ashamed  of 
myself,  I  went  on :  "  One  thing  we  must  do  on 
landing,  and  that  is  at  once  send  a  cable  to  Mrs. 
Lovell,  letting  her  know  you  are  safe. " 

"Oh  yes,"  she  said  eagerly,  "Oh  please  do.     I 


THE  PRIVATEERS  261 

have  some  money,  at  least  I  shall  have  when  I  get 
back." 

"No  doubt  Mr.  Alston  will  settle  all  that,"  I 
remarked. 

She  was  silent  again,  and  presently  said  in 
another  voice,  "  Oh,  I  wish  all  this  bartering  about 
me  was  over.  I  hate  it.  I  hate  it.  Why  should 
I  be  dragged  into  it?  I  have  nothing  to  do  with 
their  Montana  mines. " 

The  outbreak  surprised  me,  and  I  will  admit  it 
warmed  me.  "  I  gather  it  is  all  over  now, "  I  said 
soothingly. 

"  It  should  never  have  been, "  she  said  passion- 
ately and  turned  away.  The  child  had  a  glimpse 
of  the  woman,  and  stood  on  that  dignity  of 
muliebrity.  She  was  outraged  in  her  feelings,  and 
she  claimed  her  sex's  right  of  resentment.  I 
could  not  be  sorry  that  she  took  it  that  way, 
though  I  had  nothing  to  say. 

The  schooner  arrived  at  Quiberon  before  seven, 
and  almost  ere  she  dropped  anchor  a  boat  put  out 
from  the  port. 

"  I  guess  that's  the  boss, "  remarked  Butterfield, 
as  we  leaned  over  the  side.  "  Weeds  don't  grow 
under  him."  He  was  right  in  his  conjecture,  for 
so  soon  as  the  boat  drew  near  enough,  manned  by 
Breton  hands,  I  recognised  the  sturdy  form  of 
Rudgwick  in  the  stern.  He  ascended  to  the  deck 
without  a  word,  and  nodded  to  Butterfield. 


262  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Got  back,  Nathaniel?"  he  said  cavalierly. 
' '  Glad  to  see  you  Lieutenant.  That  you  Fordyce  ? 
Well,  how  do  we  stand? " 

"  Wilson,  I  reckon  I'm  going  to  hitch  up  a  team 
with  you,"  said  Alston  smiling,  "We're  too  good 
to  pull  different  ways. " 

"If  you  call  time,  Fordyce,  I've  no  doubt  we 
can  fix  it,"  said  the  pirate  imperturbably.  He 
took  his  cigar  from  his  teeth,  and  nodded  to  the 
captain. 

"You're  a  pretty  blamed  fool,  Jude,  at  your 
time  of  life,  to  be  shanghaied,"  he  remarked 
bluntly,  and  passed  on  without  waiting  an  answer. 

I  saw  Alston's  blue  eyes  agleam,  and  his  white 
teeth  showed  under  his  moustache.  "Never  you 
mind  the  old  man,  Jude, "  he  said.  "  He's  raw. " 

The  skipper  grunted  but  made  no  intelligible 
answer,  and  Alston  followed  his  adversary  aft 
where  Butterfield  was  talking  to  him. 

"Say,  Fordyce,  how's  the  young  lady?"  called 
out  Rudgwick.  "I'd  like  to  pay  my  respects  to 
her." 

Alston  went  to  the  door  of  the  state-room,  and 
opened  it.  "Sylvia,"  he  called,  "here's  Mr. 
Rudgwick  would  like  to  see  you.  He's  all  right.  " 

Rudgwick' s  thick  frame  blocked  the  doorway 
as  Miss  Lovell  appeared.  He  took  off  his  cap. 
"  I  hope  they've  made  you  as  comfortable,  Miss 
Lovell,  as  I  did, "  he  said.  "  If  they  haven't 


THE  PRIVATEERS  263 

they'll  smart.  I'll  put  an  extra  screw  on 
Fordyce.  The  only  thing  I  regret  is  that  you 
didn't  get  the  pleasure  trip  in  the  Mediterranean 
I  promised  you. " 

The  girl  threw  at  him  a  sharp  glance  of  scorn  and 
fury,  which  would  have  stabbed  anyone  of  more 
sensitive  fibre  than  Rudgwick;  and  then  she 
passed  out  on  deck  and  moved  away  without  a 
word  of  answer.  Rudgwick  replaced  his  cigar 
grimly. 

"Wilson,  you  know  a  lot,  but  you  don't  know 
women,"  said  Alston.  "See,  what's  the  matter 
with  our  doing  business  now? " 

"My  son,  I'm  waiting  for  you,"  said  the  arch- 
enemy, and  the  two  passed  into  the  cabin. 

I  came  upon  Miss  Lovell  leaning  over  the 
schooner's  side,  her  rich  brown  hair  taking  the 
gold  of  the  setting  sun.  She  started  up  and  her 
eyes  were  bright  with  rage. 

"How  dare  that  man  address  me?"  she  asked. 
"How  dare  he?  I  wish  he  were  dead.  He  has 
put  me  to  every  indignity.  I  wish  I  had  never 
seen — "  she  broke  off. 

"  It  is  his  idea  of  business,  I  suppose.  And  now 
he's  won  he  is  willing  to  be  friendly. " 

"Friendly,"  she  laughed  furiously.  "And 
they're  talking  business  now,  I  suppose.  That's 
all  Americans  ever  seem  to  care  about.  Thank 
God — "  again  she  broke  off. 


264  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"I'm  going  ashore  to  send  a  cable  to  Mrs. 
Lovell, "  I  said. 

"  Thank  you, "  she  said,  throwing  off  her  mood, 
"and  I  shall  be  glad,  Mr.  Kerslake,  if  you'll  make 
inquiries  about  the  way  of  getting  back.  I 
suppose  I  can  get  to  Cherbourg,  and  thence  to 
Southampton. " 

"I  will  certainly  inquire,"  I  told  her,  "but 
doubtless  Mr.  Alston  will  make  all  arrangements. " 

She  said  nothing,  and  Alston  at  the  moment 
came  up.  His  business  with  Rudgwick  had  not 
taken  him  long,  and  he  was  in  a  state  of  mellowed 
satisfaction. 

"That  concludes  the  act,"  he  observed. 
"  Sylvia,  old  girl,  you'll  be  landed  in  the  Island 
in  no  time.  Kerslake,  we  stand  your  debtors. " 

I  explained  what  Miss  Lovell  wanted,  and  he 
nodded.  "I'll  fix  that  for  you  directly  we  get 
ashore,  and  also  the  trains.  We  can  get  a  car 
through,  I  believe.  But  we  can't  go  to-night. 
Rudgwick  wants  to  give  a  little  dinner  in  cele- 
bration of  the  terms  of  peace  and — ' ' 

But  she  broke  out,  "  I  will  not.  How  can  you 
think  of  it?  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  that 
infamous  man." 

"Now,  my  dear  girl,"  said  he,  listening  pa- 
tiently to  her,  "I'm  not  going  to  say  there  isn't 
reason  in  what  you  feel  about  Rudgwick.  Be- 
cause there  is.  It  was  right  down  rascally  of  him 


THE  PRIVATEERS  265 

to  drag  you  into  this.  But  look  at  it  from  my 
point  of  view,  Sylvia;  and  I  think  that's  worth 
considering.  It's  I  too  who  ought  to  cut  up 
rough  over  this.  I  had  a  safe  thing  on,  and  he 
came  in  and  tried  to  spoil  it.  I  fought  and  I  lost. 
I  could  have  carried  it  on  to  the  end,  but  that 
would  have  been  to  sacrifice  you,  my  dear,  and 
that  wouldn't  work.  So  I'm  ceding  a  point  to 
Wilson  for  your  sake  and  if  I  can  afford  to  smile, 
I  reckon  you  can,  Sylvia.  Not  but  what  I'll  get 
home  on  him  some  day.  I'm  not  forgetting  any 
of  this — not  I  by  a  sight. " 

She  answered  nothing,  and  I  wondered  if  she 
felt,  as  I  did,  that  his  plea  was  unworthy.  It 
seemed  to  me  once  more  to  smell  of  money,  and 
as  if  he  was  not  conscious  of  the  tremendous 
disparity  between  commercial  considerations  and 
pure  sentiment. 

' '  What  do  you  say,  Kerslake  ? "  he  appealed  to  me . 

"I  am  content  to  let  Miss  Lovell  judge  for 
herself, "  I  said  quietly. 

She  turned  suddenly  to  him.  "Very  well,"  she 
said  quietly.  "  It  shall  be  as  you  wish. " 

"That's  right.  And  now,  don't  think  I'm 
going  to  let  you  be  guest  in  the  place  where  you've 
been  prisoner.  No ;  I've  fixed  up  with  Rudgwick 
that  he's  to  give  us  dinner  in  Quiberon.  He  can 
fix  it  at  his  inn."  The  man  himself  emerged 
slowly  and  strolled  towards  us. 


266  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  Eight  sharp,  Fordyce, "  he  called.  "  I've  sent 
Butterfield  ashore  with  the  word. " 

"Butterfield?"  said  Alston,  and  then  with 
a  smile,  "Now,  I  wonder  if  he'll  make  us  an 
omelette." 

What  was  there  in  the  word  and  in  the  smile 
that  made  me  wonder?  "You  can't  make  an 
omelette  without  breaking  eggs" — the  old  saw 
came  to  my  mind.  There  was  something  surely 
ominous  in  Butterfield's  omelettes.  But  this 
was  the  last. 

At  eight  we  dined  in  the  Petits  Oiseaux,  by  which 
time  I  found  that  Miss  Lovell  had  been  able  to 
effect  a  change  in  her  toilette.  She  still  wore  the 
Breton  dress,  but  it  had  been  refurbished  and 
decorated  with  the  aid  of  a  good  deal  of  taste  and 
(I  found  later)  of  a  little  money.  The  dinner  was 
rather  more  of  a  success  than  that  to  which  she, 
Alston  and  I  had  sat  down  on  the  previous 
evening,  for  here  at  least  were  two  diners  quite  at 
their  ease  and  very  friendly.  Rudgwick  went  out 
of  his  way  to  be  very  entertaining  and  very 
attentive.  Now  that  peace  was  signed  he  was  an 
ally,  an  ally  at  any  rate  of  Alston,  whose  prowess 
at  large  he  celebrated. 

"There's  no  man  who  would  have  put  up  a 
fight  such  as  you  did,  Fordyce,"  he  remarked, 
"and  I  say  it  before  Miss  Lovell.  You  had  me 
fairly  cornered  once,  and  I  knew  it,  and  I  guess 


THE  PRIVATEERS  267 

you  knew  it?  Well,  it's  over  now,  and  you  can 
fix  me  up  as  best  man,  if  you're  not  going  to  take 
on  Mr.  Kerslake  here. " 

Miss  Lo veil's  embarrassment  showed  in  her 
face,  and  I  felt  myself  glowing  with  unreasonable 
indignation.  Only  Alston  was  imperturbed, 
though  he  cast  two  quick  glances  at  the  girl  and 
myself. 

"  It's  time  you  had  a  holiday,  Wilson, "  he  said 
easily.  "  You've  been  on  the  strain  too  long.  I 
guess  we  won't  keep  you  in  Europe  any  more. " 

Rudgwick  laughed.  "  I'm  going  for  a  holiday, 
you  bet,"  he  said.  "I'm  going  for  that  Mediter- 
ranean trip  which  I  wanted  to  give  Miss  Lovell. 
Say,"  he  interrupted  himself  suddenly,  "will  you 
take  the  yacht,  Fordyce,  for  your  honeymoon? 
I'll  lay  her  up  in  Nice  for  you  any  day  you  name, 
while  I  go  along  to  New  York.  I've  got  to  get 
back  to  Chicago  next  month  anyway. " 

Again  Miss  Lovell's  cheeks  flew  her  signals  of 
distress  and  I  broke  in  on  this  inopportune 
conversation  with  some  violence. 

"The  memories  of  your  schooner,  Sir,"  said  I, 
"are  hardly  likely  to  commend  themselves  to 
Miss  Lovell." 

"No,"  he  considered.  "Never  struck  me  that 
way;  though  you're  right.  Anyway,  the  offer's 
on,  Fordyce,  if  you  want  it."  He  rang  the  bell. 
"We  can  do  with  some  wine,  pop,  I  reckon. 


268  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Fordyce,  empty  that  glass.  You're  not  a  tee- 
totaller to-day."  He  had  drunk  a  good  deal  of 
champagne  himself,  and  was  far  more  talkative 
than  usual,  while  Alston  made  but  a  feint  of 
drinking.  Miss  Lovell  took  nothing,  and  sat 
almost  silent,  resenting  the  situation,  as  I  saw. 
It  was  beyond  doubt  that,  while  she  had  impul- 
sively given  in  to  Alston's  request,  he  had  made 
a  mistake  in  pressing  her.  I  met  her  eyes  once 
as  Rudgwick  related  some  commercial  deal  of  his 
experience,  and  they  had  raked  his  face  with 
contempt,  a  contempt  which  had  scarcely  died 
out  of  them  when  our  glances  encountered.  She 
flushed  and  then  paled.  I  would  have  given  much 
to  have  been  able  to  release  her  from  that  dis- 
agreeable situation.  Alston,  if  I  read  him  aright, 
was  a  better  judge  of  men  than  women.  His 
glances  began  to  visit  her  face  from  time  to  time, 
but  he  did  not  appear  to  be  conscious  of  her 
feelings,  although  he  displayed  a  little  anxiety 
towards  the  end  of  the  dinner.  For  the  most 
part,  however,  he  exchanged  jest  and  memory 
with  Rudgwick. 

"  Where's  Butterfield? "  he  demanded  presently. 

"  He's  gone  aboard, "  said  Rudgwick,  "  I've  not 
had  him  to  valet  my  affairs  for  some  little  time, 
and  I've  missed  him. " 

"Oh!"  said  Alston,  staring  hard  at  him,  and 
then :  "  Guess  you  find  him  useful. " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  269 

"He's  my  mental  valet,"  said  he  other.  "He 
goes  all  right. " 

"Well,"  said  Alston  after  a  pause,  "that 
means  we  must  go  without  that  omelette,  I 
suppose."  His  even  teeth  showed  handsomely, 
and  his  blue  eyes  shone,  as  he  glanced  round  the 
table,  as  if  inviting  us  to  be  amused. 

Yet  Alston  had  not  been  so  blind  to  Miss 
Lo veil's  sentiments  as  I  had  imagined;  which  I 
discovered  through  overhearing  some  words  be- 
tween them  later.  Rudgwick,  who  had  got  to  the 
stage  of  coffee  and  cognac,  meditated  drowsily 
over  an  illustrated  French  journal,  and  I  had  gone 
to  discover  my  bedroom.  As  I  came  into  the 
dark  passage  through  the  low  doorway  I  caught 
the  sound  of  Alston's  voice  from  an  adjoining 
room  in  bad  French. 

"Mademoiselle  desired  to  see  her  room,  Ma- 
dame. "  There  was  a  moment's  silence,  and  then 
he  spoke  again,  this  time  in  English. 

"  Sylvia  girl,  I'm  afraid  you  didn't  enjoy  your 
dinner." 

"  How  could  I  ? "  she  asked  in  a  low  voice,  which 
nevertheless  penetrated  the  thin  boarding. 

"Well,  I'm  real  sorry.  I'd  a  notion  you'd 
work  into  it.  But  see,  I've  done  with  Rudgwick 
now.  This  squares  us,  and  we  start  again. 
This  last  week  has  been  a  busy  week,  and  I  don't 
think  it  would  have  been  more  exciting  in  Wall 


270  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Street.  But  it's  over  now,  and  we're  quits ;  and 
I've  got  you. " 

His  voice  was  caressing,  and  hers  in  reply  was 
agitated.  "  It  has  been  good  of  you.  I  have  cost 
you  too  much.  I  haven't  really  thanked  you.  I 
know  you've  done  heroic  things  for  me  and  made 
great  sacrifices.  I  have  cost  you  too  much. " 

"  I  would  purchase  you  at  ten  times  the  cost, 
Sylvia,"  he  said  softly;  and  at  that,  for  all  my 
heart  was  sore,  and  my  blood  pulsing,  I  knew  I 
was  eavesdropping,  and  I  passed  on. 

Rudgwick,  cigar  between  his  teeth,  was  con- 
templating the  ceiling  in  the  room  in  which  we  had 
dined.  His  expression  was  calm  and  peaceful,  as 
of  a  man  who  has  attempted  and  achieved  some- 
thing, and  thus  earned  his  night's  repose.  He 
took  his  cigar  from  his  mouth  and  addressed  me 
when  I  entered. 

"This  has  been  an  amusing  little  interlude, 
Mr.  Kerslake,  and  I'm  indebted  to  it  for  your 
acquaintance.  If  you  ever  come  across  the  way, 
you  look  up  Wilson  Rudgwick,  and  you'll  have  a 
good  time.  I  like  a  good  fighter.  Seems  to  me, " 
he  went  on  reflectively,  "seems  to  me  very  much 
as  how  Fordyce  wouldn't  have  had  a  show  but  for 
you.  But  I  guess  I'll  let  him  down  lightly,  as  he's 
taken  it  well. " 

Peace  and  good-will  apparently  reigned  in  the 
theatre  of  this  extraordinary  struggle,  and  in  the 


THE  PRIVATEERS  271 

hearts  of  these  remarkable  men.  I  could  not 
pretend  to  understand  them,  nor  do  I  know  that 
I  much  wanted  to.  At  least  it  was  not  of  them 
that  I  thought  as  I  turned  in  that  night.  It  was 
twelve  o'clock,  and  the  stars  were  in  the  Bay.  In 
the  room  next  to  mine,  separated  from  me  by  but 
a  match-board  partition,  slept  Sylvia  Lovell.  The 
game  seemed  to  be  drawing  to  its  close,  and  it  was 
not  I  who  was  the  winner.  Alston  had  behaved 
admirably  in  his  defeat,  and  had  made  a  good 
impression  on  me,  and  (I  could  not  avoid  seeing) 
on  Miss  Lovell  also.  However  much  she  dis- 
tasted his  characteristic  devotion  to  "business" 
she  must  have  been  impressed  by  his  hard 
struggle  for  her  and  his  generous  and  good- 
tempered  surrender.  I  felt  that  night  that  I  had 
lost  my  chances,  and  looking  out  on  the  lapping 
water,  was  disconsolate.  The  dawn  was  not  far 
distant,  and  the  breeze  came  off  the  sea  cool  and 
refreshing.  It  did  not  refresh  my  spirits.  My 
mind  went  back  to  that  dawn  in  the  Island,  when 
I  had  been  fired  to  exalted  hopes,  and  I  saw  again 
that  springing  tender  plant  in  the  garden  by  the 
pergola.  If  seed  had  been  sown  there  in  my  heart 
it  was  destined  to  shoot,  but  to  decay  and  die. 
The  sound  of  her  breathing  might  almost  have 
reached  me  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  but  she  was 
parted  from  me  by  destiny,  by  the  implacable 
turn  of  Fate. 


272  THE  PRIVATEERS 

As  I  looked  out  in  this  mood  I  was  aware  of  a 
noise  without.  It  caught  my  ear,  held  it,  and 
then  passed.  I  turned  again  to  the  window,  and 
pulling  the  curtains  crept  into  bed. 

But  I  did  not  sleep  for  a  long  time.  The  stairs 
creaked  with  the  feet  of  guests  no  doubt  retiring 
to  their  rooms,  or  I  reflected,  it  might  be  the 
landlord  and  his  wife  seeking  their  chamber  after 
the  labours  of  the  day.  I  tossed  under  a  single 
sheet,  for  the  night  was  warm,  and  at  last  got  up 
in  my  restlessness  and  gazed  out  again  at  the 
prospect.  The  light  was  grey  on  the  water,  and 
a  little  way  from  the  shore  a  boat  moved  without 
sound  into  the  Bay.  I  thought  I  could  recognise 
the  dim  bulk  of  the  schooner  further  out.  I  went 
to  bed  once  more,  and  at  last  I  slept. 

I  was  awakened,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  unduly 
early  by  someone  moving  in  the  room,  and  I  sat 
up. 

"  So  you  are  here, "  said  Rudgwick's  voice  more 
than  ordinarily  brusque.  "Damned  if  I  didn't 
think  you  were  in  it.  But  I  guess  you're  left. " 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  asked  stupidly. 

His  face,  thin-lipped,  black-avised,  and  grim 
was  turned  on  me  with  a  sort  of  leer ;  it  was  a  pulp 
of  indeterminable  expression. 

"Where  did  Miss  Lovell  sleep  last  night?"  he 
asked  harshly.  I  indicated  the  wall. 

"  The  room  on  the  right, "  I  said. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  273 

He  strode  out,  and  I  heard  him  turn  a  handle. 
I  leapt  out  of  bed  and  began  to  dress  hastily,  not 
knowing  what  had  upset  him,  and  in  a  tangle  of 
anxiety.  Rudgwick  came  back. 

"He's  right!"  he  said.  "He's  cleared  sure 
enough,  and  the  girl  with  him.  Damn  his  eyes. " 

I  was  staggered,  but  I  recaptured  my  common- 
sense.  "  No  doubt  it  was  settled  between  them, " 
I  said.  "  It  may  even  be  that  they  were  tired  of 
you1," 

It  was  an  obvious  sarcasm,  and  his  half  grin 
appeared. 

"  And  of  you? "  he  said  interrogatively.  "  Well, 
you'd  better  take  both  barrels.  It's  worse  for  me. 
The  schooner's  gone. " 

"What!"  I  said,  and  sprang  to  the  window. 
It  was  true.  I  turned  a  bewildered  questioning 
gaze  on  him.  "You  see,"  he  said  slowly,  "For- 
dyce  Alston's  a  very  clever  man,  and  he's  tried 
euchre  on  me.  But  I  don't  think  it  will  work. " 

"  But  how — ? "  said  I.  "  Do  you  mean  he  has  run 
off  with  the  schooner? " 

"And  the  girl,"  he  added,  and  more  abruptly: 
"  Look  here,  we've  got  to  talk.  Get  your  clothes 
on  and  come  along  down.  I'll  order  dejeuner,  or 
whatever  they  call  their  damned  breakfast. 
Smart's  the  word. " 

With  that  he  left  me,  a  prey  to  the  most 
elusive  emotions. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  A.  K.  U. 

IT  was  not  many  minutes  before  I  descended, 
and  found  Rudgwick  seated  at  the  table  writing. 
A  figure  stood  in  the  window  in  a  dejected  attitude 
which  I  immediately  recognised  as  Butterfield's. 

"  Cable  that  and  that, "  commanded  Rudgwick, 
tossing  over  a  paper.  "  Let  that  New  York  one  go 
first.  Get  a  move  on  you.  Well,  Lieutenant, 
what  can  I  do  for  you?  " 

"  I  can't  get  the  hang  of  this  or  of  you, "  I  said 
bluntly.  "  Perhaps  you'll  admit  me  to  the  ex- 
planation." 

"Explanation!"  he  said,  as  Butterfield  left  the 
room.  "Well,  I  guess  it's  about  time.  You're 
right.  Fordyce  has  broken  out  of  the  ring,  damn 
him.  We've  got  to  get  to  explanations. ' ' 

"You  say  he  has  gone  off  with  your  yacht. 
What  does  that  mean,  and  why  should  he  do  it, 
when  he  had  all  he  wanted  ? " 

"  You  think  he  had, "  said  this  intriguer,  rolling 
a  cigar  between  his  fingers.  "Well,  he  didn't 
seem  to  think  so .  What  do  you  make  of  tha  t  ? " 

274 


THE  PRIVATEERS  275 

He  threw  me  a  piece  of  paper,  which  I  picked  tip 
and  read .  It  ran  as  follows : 

"I'm  sending  this  by  a  faithful  hand,  Wilson, 
same  hand  as  you  did  yours.  Guess  I  came 
up  fresh  in  the  last  round.  No  doubt  we'll 
meet  in  New  York .  So  long. ' ' 

I  read  it  aloud  still  in  perplexity,  but  Rudgwick  's 
face  blazed,  and  his  voice  thundered. 

"  Last  round !  By  God,  he  broke  the  ropes,  and 
it  ain't  the  last  round.  I'll  chase  him  round  the 
ring,  and  make  him  beg  for  mercy;  by  God,  I 
will." 

I  stared.  "  Butterfield  brought  that  to  me  half 
an  hour  since,"  he  said,  returning  to  his  normal 
tone.  "He  was  caught  and  tied  aboard  the 
schooner — the  only  faithful  hound  left —  'among 
the  faithless  faithful  only  he.'  Isn't  that  how 
she  goes?  Alston  put  him  ashore.  He's  bought 
Jude,  by  Heaven,  Jude  that  I  raised  from  Hell, 
Jude  that's  sold  me,  and  Jude  that  earns  his  own 
damnable  name.  Thirty  pieces  of  silver!  They 
were  always  on  sale  for  that,  every  man  of  the 
kidney.  Well,  I  might  have  known  Jude.  By 
gosh ! "  he  actually  smiled.  "  Fordyce  must  have 
paid  heavy  for  that. " 

His  yacht  had  been  stolen,  as  he  had  stolen  the 
bride  of  his  adversary.  That  was  all  it  came  to 
in  my  eyes,  and  I  saw  no  undue  dipping  of  the 


276  THE  PRIVATEERS 

balance.  The  scales  returned.  I  considered  him 
with  some  anxiety  that  was  right  on  the  surface 
of  more  disturbing  emotions.  I  wondered  at  the 
outbreak  of  a  grim  silent  man  for  inconsiderable 
reasons. 

"Well,  you  can  easily  get  your  yacht  back," 
I  said  without  sympathy,  "and  no  doubt  your 
skipper  has  given  himself  away.  He  is  quite  at 
your  mercy. " 

Rudgwick  contemplated  me  with  a  dispassion- 
ate scrutiny,  and  apparently  came  to  the  same 
conclusion. 

"  No ;  I  had  my  doubts  about  you,  Lieutenant, " 
said  he,  "  but  I  was  a  fool.  I  might  have  guessed 
at  Alston  better.  He  always  used  people,  and  the 
less  he  paid  the  better  it  tickled  him.  There's 
some  blamed  coffee  somewhere.  Sit  down  and 
have  some.  We  got  to  talk. " 

I  obeyed,  though  I  could  not  in  the  least 
understand  at  what  he  was  driving. 

"  I  begin  to  see  where  you  come  in,  my  friend, " 
he  pursued,  puckering  his  forehead.  "  You're  the 
jeune  premier  of  the  piece,  so  to  speak."  He 
laughed.  "  Well,  I  don't  mind  that.  It's  not  a 
part  I  hanker  after,  but  I'm  not  saying  it  isn't 
showy.  However  >  the  main  thing  is  to  clear  the 
track,  and  I  suspicion  where  you  stand.  All 
right.  Now  we'll  go  into  this,  my  son.  Fordyce 
Alston  has  gone  back  on  our  agreement,  and  that 


THE  PRIVATEERS  277 

absolves  me.  I  go  back  on  mine.  The  contract's 
off,  for  good  and  all. " 

I  stared.  "You  mean  the  Montana  mine?"  I 
asked. 

A  grim  smile  distorted  his  face.  "I  take  no 
stock  in  mines.  That  was  the  bluff.  Say,  ever 
hear  of  the  A.  K.U?" 

I  shook  my  head. 

"  Well,  there's  more  than  you  that's  never  heard 
of  it,  but  I  guess  it's  well  enough  known  on  your 
Stock  Exchange,"  he  said  with  some  evident 
contempt  for  my  ignorance.  "The  A.  K. 
Union's  a  road  with  a  future,  and  that  future  is  to 
be  marked  out  by  prudent  management  and  a 
head.  It  isn't  a  booby  that  can  run  the  A.  K. 
U." 

My  head  began  to  swim.  Was  he  out  of  his 
senses,  or  was  I?  What  was  all  this  ineffectual 
nonsense  about  A.  K.  U?  His  voice  went  on 
evenly : 

"  Then  I  take  it  you  never  heard  of  the  president 
either  ?  Never  heard  of  President  Lo veil  ? ' ' 

Suddenly  my  head  cleared.  What  was  that 
name?  My  eyes  and  ears  were  attention.  I 
stared. 

"  J.  P.  Lovell, "  he  went  on,  "  has  been  president 
for  the  last  ten  years.  He  and  I  had  some  deals 
together  long  since,  way  back  when  I  was  raw,  and 
he  got  the  better  of  me.  And  I  won't  say  we 


278  THE  PRIVATEERS 

haven't  worked  together  since,  and  made  a  tidy 
pile.  But  the  old  man's  petered  out  before  his 
time.  I  guess  he's  about  65  but  he's  at  the  end  of 
his  tether. "  He  knocked  the  ash  from  his  cigar. 
"I  don't  say,"  he  resumed  meditatively,  "that  I 
couldn't  have  worked  the  old  man,  if  he'd  been  in 
proper  health  and  senses,  but  he  isn't;  and  so  I 
had  to  go  about  it  other  ways.  I  operate  in  rail- 
way stocks,  Mr.  Kerslake,  more  than's  good  for 
me,  perhaps.  But  I  like  it,  and  it's  a  recreation 
from  wheat  in  Chicago.  And  besides  it  works  in. 
There's  the  South  Western  road  that  comes  in 
mighty  useful  in  that  wheat  business,  and  it  would 
come  in  more  mighty  useful  if  we  could  get  it 
improved.  "That  depends,"  he  looked  at  me 
squarely,  "on  the  A.  K.  U.  I  guess  you  begin  to 
see  now. " 

I  didn't;  I  was  still  in  a  maze;  but  what  had 
dawned  upon  me  was  that  there  was  a  profounder 
mystery  behind  the  abduction  and  the  prolonged 
hostilities  of  these  two  men  than  I  had  hitherto 
imagined. 

"  Well,  no,  you  haven't  got  hold  of  the  real  key 
yet.  I'll  come  along  to  that  presently,"  said 
Rudgwick.  "  Anyway,  keep  fixed  on  to  this,  that 
I  wanted  a  hold  on  the  A.  K.  U.  in  the  interests  of 
the  South  Western.  See?  I'm  taking  off  the 
mask,  and  appearing  naked  now.  The  time's 
come  for  that.  Well,  the  old  man  holds  the 


THE  PRIVATEERS  279 

controlling  interest  in  the  A.  K.  U.  and  I  dickered 
with  him,  but  he  wouldn't.  I  don't  say  I  couldn't 
have  pulled  it  off  in  time  if  I'd  had  time.  But  his 
lease  is  out,  his  sands  are  at  the  last  ebb,  and  the 
plain  fact  is  that  he  can't  do  business,  compos 
mentis.  That's  what's  depressed  the  stock. 
Know  what  the  fall's  been?  No,  you  wouldn't. 
It's  packed  away  in  financial  corners  which  no 
gentleman  reads,  only  poor  operators  and  such 
hang-dogs.  A.  K.  U's  flat  on  the  illness  of 
President  J.  P.  Lovell.  It's  no  concern  to  you, 
but  it  means  something  to  us.  Anyway,  J.  P. 
Lovell  being  incompetent  for  a  deal,  it  had  to  be 
done  another  way.  And  here's  where  we  get 
warm,  and  where  your  friend  and  ally,  Fordyce 
Alston,  comes  in. 

"  Old  man  Lovell  came  from  England,  same  as 
me,  and  like  me,  I  guess  he's  been  over  there  long 
enough  to  know  better.  But  he's  gotten  in  his 
dotage  a  belated  affection  for  his  English  re- 
lations, and  he's  made  a  will  in  favour  of  them. " 

Rudgwick  paused  almost  with  a  dramatic 
instinct.  I  was  aware  that  he  was  watching  me 
shrewdly. 

"  Go  on, "  I  said  quickly. 

"At  least  his  will  is  in  favour  of  his  niece, 
Sylvia  Rosamund  Lovell,  daughter  of  his  brother, 
Captain  Richard  Lovell.  And  he  has  no  kith  or 
kin  of  his  own  in  America. " 


280  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Again  he  paused,  as  if  to  let  the  meaning  of  his 
words  and  their  significance  sink  into  my  mind. 

"Miss  Lovell  is  heiress  to  President  Lovell  of 
the  A.  K.  U., "  I  summed  up. 

"Precisely,  and  she  don't  know  it,  nor  her 
mother,  nor  anyone  but — me  and — Fordyce 
Alston. " 

I  sat  upright.     Alston ! 

"  Who  is  Alston  ? "  I  demanded. 

"Fordyce,"  said  Rudgwick,  examining  the  top 
of  his  cigar,  "is  a  plunger  who  has  made  two  or 
three  fortunes  and  lost  'em.  Fordyce  is  the 
nephew  of  the  late  Mrs.  J.  P.  Lovell. " 

"Oh!"  I  exclaimed,  and  of  a  sudden  the  light 
broke  upon  me  fully. 

"  You  see,  Fordyce  and  I  got  to  know  about  the 
will  pretty  much  the  same  time,  only  he  bluffed  me 
off  about  knowing.  Anyway  he  made  a  quicker 
bee-line  than  I  did,  and  that's  how  he  got  in  first. " 

I  remembered  the  wind  on  the  downs,  and  the 
blown  skirts  of  Sylvia  Lovell  with  her  bright  and 
beautiful  eyes ;  I  recalled  the  meeting  with  the  tall 
stranger  from  America  with  his  debonair  and  easy 
manner ;  and  there  came  back  to  me  the  memory 
of  my  surprise  at  that  precipitate  engagement, 
engineered,  as  I  saw  now,  by  an  unscrupulous 
rascal  with  the  tacit  assistance  of  a  foolish  and 
anxious  mother.  The  mists  that  had  enshrouded 
this  adventure  up  till  now  dispersed  of  a  sudden, 


THE  PRIVATEERS  281 

and  the  whole  affair  emerged  to  me  in  the  light  of 
a  sordid  struggle  between  these  two  men  for  the 
possession  of  the  heiress's  millions.  I  recalled  now 
that  scrap  of  paper  I  had  found  in  the  fireplace, 
and  the  tenor  of  its  contents.  I  was  angry,  I  was 
furious,  and  I  showed  it. 

"  My  obvious  duty, "  I  said,  "  is  to  cable  to  Mr. 
J.  P.  Lovell  putting  him  in  possession  of  all  the 
facts." 

"  Too  late,  my  son, "  he  responded  indifferently, 
"J.  P's  never  going  to  put  pen  to  paper  again. 
He's  beyond  it.  Besides,  what  good  would  it  do 
with  Fordyce  married  to  the  girl?  I  take  it  that's 
what  you  don't  want. " 

He  was  right.  I  wanted  it,  if  it  were  possible, 
a  thousand  times  less  than  ever.  I  wanted  to  be 
up  and  about.  I  longed  for  action.  But  Rudg- 
wick  sat  there  coolly,  "  sizing  me  up, "  as  it  were. 

"I  guess  he's  got  a  pull  on  you,"  he  observed. 
"  He's  been  set  up  for  hers  by  all  this.  That's  me, 
like  a  blamed  fool,  that  I  was  to  put  faith  in  him. 
But  I  didn't  know  he  would  go  so  far  as  this  and, 
damn  him,  I'll  break  him  for  it. " 

His  voice  rose  in  a  volume  of  anger  as  he  made 
this  asseveration,  but  as  rapidly  subsided. 

"  Now,  I'm  going  to  make  a  move,  Lieutenant. 
In  fact  I've  begun  to  move.  I  cabled  to  New 
York,  to  be  sure,  some  inquiries  about  the  old  man. 
Well,  if  you're  coming  in,  I'll  take  you  along.  I 


282  THE  PRIVATEERS 

don't  deny,  you  will  be  very  handy  to  me,  seeing 
how  you  stand. " 

"That  is,"  said  I,  "you  want  me  to  rake  your 
chestnuts  out  of  the  fire. " 

He  laughed.  "  I '  ve  not  been  in  business  twenty 
years  for  nothing,"  he  returned,  "and  I'm  not 
looking  upon  you  as  a  born  fool.  I  know  how  the 
wind  blows  with  you,  and  I'm  reckoning  on  your 
co-operation.  But  I  tell  you  frankly,  I  don't 
give  a  damn  cent  if  I  don't  get  it.  I'm  going  to 
crucify  Fordyce  anyway.  See  here, "  he  went  on 
as  I  made  no  reply,  "I  want  you  to  see  the 
worst,  and  that's  why  I've  told  you  all  this.  I'll 
tell  you  some  more,  and  you'll  probably  be  hotter 
against  me  than  you  are.  That's  all  right. 
This  isn't  a  show  game  or  a  bluff;  it's  real  war. 
There's  one  or  two  things  maybe  are  puzzling  you. 
Here's  one.  What  was  I  after  in  the  Island? 
Well,  I  reckon  I'm  not  a  beauty,  but  I  have  my 
chances,  and  I'm  a  bachelor.  There  was  a  sport 
over  your  way  by  name  of  Wilkes  who  backed 
himself  to  marry  any  woman  if  he'd  half  an  hour's 
start.  That's  me.  But  you  see  I  didn't  get  that 
start.  Alston  got  it,  and  he'd  won  ere  I  toed  the 
mark.  That  left  me  at  the  post  as  you  may  say. 
So  I  did  the  best  I  could.  I  took  the  stakes  away. 
Stands  to  reason  Fordyce  couldn't  marry  the  girl 
if  she  wasn't  there,  and  by  God  I'd  have  held  her 
till  he  gave  in,  and  did. " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  283 

He  frowned.  "Ah,  you  came  to  terms,"  said 
I  dryly. 

"  That's  so.  He  gave  in.  Smart  man,  Fordyce. 
Conceded  like  a  lamb.  I  ought  to  have  smelt  a 
rat,  but  I  didn't.  I  reckon  I  was  too  complacent. 
He  offered  me  the  A.  K.  U.  voting  block,  and  an 
option  at  prices  which  were  pretty  right.  Prac- 
tically I  made  my  own  terms.  And  now,  mud's 
my  name,  eh?" 

"  But  you  have  the  agreement, "  I  said. 

''Mud's  my  name,"  he  repeated  sardonically. 
"Fordyce  is  away  with  the  schooner  and  my 
private  bureau  including  the  agreement.  Simple, 
isn't  it?  I'm  left  on  the  shore.  Now,  what  say? 
Are  vou  coming  in  ? " 

I  laughed.  "  I  am  to  assist  one  scoundrel  with 
my  eyes  open  after  having  been  made  a  tool  of  by 
another, "  I  said  bitterly. 

"Well,  you  can  put  it  that  way,  if  you're 
scrupulous,"  he  assented  without  taking  offence. 
"Only  you're  playing  with  a  straight  man  this 
time.  You  can  look  before  you  leap,  only  we've 
got  to  leap  soon.  I'm  putting  all  in  your  hands. 
I  size  you  up,  Lieutenant.  I  want  to  get  back  on 
the  man  who's  broken  the  ropes.  I  don't  say 
anything  about  the  A.  K.  U.  But  maybe  when 
it  comes  to  be  a  bit  later  we  can  make  a  deal  over 
that.  Anyway,  I'm  going  to  break  Fordyce,  if 
I  lose  over  it. " 


284  THE  PRIVATEERS 

For  a  moment  I  sat  considering,  and  then  I 
knew  that  I  could  not  refuse.  This  man  was 
offering  me  his  assistance  to  keep  Sylvia  Lovell 
from  marriage  with  an  unscrupulous  adventurer. 

"I  agree,"  I  said.  "But  I  will  make  no 
conditions,  even  if  I  were  in  the  position  to  do  so. " 

"  That's  all  right, "  he  nodded.  "  I  reckon  the 
conditions  will  make  themselves  as  we  go  along. " 

Here  Butterfield  entered,  restless  and  perturbed, 
but  watchful  of  his  master. 

"Get  those  off?"  inquired  the  latter.  "Well, 
you've  got  to  hustle,  Nathaniel.  I'm  not  going  to 
be  beat,  and  Mr.  Kerslake  stands  in  to  prevent  it. " 
He  grinned  at  us.  "  Get  a  move  on  you.  What 
time's  that  train  ? "  Butterfield  told  him.  "  Just 
as  we  are  we've  got  to  start,  Mr.  Kerslake. " 

"Where  will  you  go?"  I  asked,  curious  to  learn 
his  plans. 

"I  guess  we'll  try  London  for  a  change,"  he 
observed. 

" London!"  I  echoed.  "  But  surely  Alston  will 
not  venture  to  England  in  the  circumstances. " 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  he  dryly,  "when  I  wanted 
to  get  outside  the  law  I  came  away  here.  If  I'd 
wanted  to  stay  inside  the  law  I  would  have  been 
in  England.  I  guess  Alston  wants  the  inside  of 
the  law  now. " 

"  But  he  has  stolen  your  yacht, "  I  said. 

Rudgwick  shook  his  head.     "  My  son,  we're  not 


THE  PRIVATEERS  285 

arguing  before  a  judge  now.  We're  talking  sense. 
How  do  you  suppose  I'm  going  to  see  this  thing 
placarded  over  Europe,  and  looking  at  me  from 
scare-heads  in  New  York?  No;  this  affair's 
going  to  be  pulled  off  quite  privately,  as  furtively 
as  you  like,  by  your  leave.  I  abduct  and  go 
abroad;  Alston  wants  to  marry,  so  he  goes  to 
civilisation.  I've  got  a  certain  respect  for  the  old 
laws  left  myself.  I've  got  a  limit  somewhere 
inside  my  waistcoat. " 

"Very  well,"  I  said.  "You  know  your  kind 
best.  I'll  act  under  you  for  the  present.  But  the 
time  may  come  when  I  take  first  hand.  I'm 
warning  you." 

He  glanced  at  me  critically.  "  I  daresay  that'll 
suit  me,"  he  said.  "Anyway  we'll  start  it  at 
that." 

It  was  thus  decided  forthright  that  we  should  go 
to  London  to  begin  our  operations  in  revenge  on 
his  part,  in  remedy  on  mine.  Butterfield  faith- 
fully followed  "the  boss,"  and  proved  astonish- 
ingly helpful.  He  was  always  at  hand  with  some 
suggestion,  or  anticipating  some  need.  If  ever 
there  was  a  better  handy  man  I  have  never  seen 
him.  As  was  his  custom  he  talked  a  good  deal, 
which  was  in  contrast  with  his  "boss."  I  think 
he  had  despaired  at  the  first  shock  of  the  news,  and 
perhaps  he  regarded  himself  as  in  some  degree 
responsible  for  the  disaster.  He  had  not  the 


286  THE  PRIVATEERS 

sturdy  vitality  of  more  confident  people,  and  was 
easily  affected.  He  responded  to  reverses  like  a 
thermometer,  but  to  success  also;  and  with  the 
solid  assurance  of  Rudgwick  before  him  he  took 
heart  and  rose  buoyantly  to  the  occasion. 

"I'll  bet  the  boss  pulls  this  off, "  he  told  me  as 
we  crossed  from  St.  Malo.  "If  he  grits  his  teeth 
he's  not  going  to  be  under  dog;  and  Alston's 
riled  him,  by  gum,  riled  him  pretty  badly.  It  was 
a  mean  trick  of  Alston's  to  play  on  us,  right  down 
shabby.  But  I  never  took  much  stock  in  him. 
Not  but  what  he's  clever  enough. " 

I  had  almost  grown  accustomed  to  this  re- 
markable way  of  looking  at  things,  and  sometimes 
I  saw  its  amusing  side.  They  were  narrow,  these 
singular  people,  narrow  by  the  very  apparent 
breadth  and  tolerance  of  their  views.  They  saw 
life  in  a  circumscribed  vista,  one  thing  and  no 
more,  and  they  set  their  actions  by  it.  They 
played  a  game  with  certain  rules,  and  an  infraction 
of  these  rules  was  penalised;  but  provided  the 
protagonists  kept  the  terms  of  the  conflict,  all  that 
ensued  was  right  and  proper.  It  was  war;  and 
after  all  it  had  its  counterpart  on  our  own  Stock 
Exchange.  It  was  only  that  in  America  it  was 
more  obvious,  and  more  frankly  acknowledged. 
Even  piracy  may  be  conditioned  into  a  systematic 
game — if  you  are  prepared  to  pay  the  penalties 
which  civilisation  will  necessarily  exact. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  287 

Alston  and  Rudgwick  were  not  pirates,  but  in 
a  sense  they  were  privateers.  They  were  in 
commission  against  one  another,  and  they  re- 
spected the  rules.  At  least  they  had  done  so,  until 
this  treacherous  departure  of  Alston.  And  for 
the  time  being  I  was  sailing  under  the  privateer's 
flag. 

I  had  discharged  the  yawl  at  Quiberon,  for 
whatever  might  befall  we  had  no  likelihood  of 
requiring  that  impotent  boat.  Indeed  at  first 
sight  it  seemed  that  we  had  abandoned  the  sea 
altogether.  Rudgwick,  I  concluded,  was  probably 
right  in  his  conjecture  that  Alston  would  come  to 
England  to  be  married,  but  the  task  was  where  to 
find  him?  It  was  formidable,  but  was  attacked 
by  the  two  Americans  with  characteristic  vigour 
and  haste.  Money  was  no  object,  in  the  familiar 
phrase.  Telegrams  were  dispatched  in  dozens  to 
every  port  in  England,  and  agents  were  provided 
everywhere.  Rudgwick,  within  four  and  twenty 
hours  of  his  arrival  in  London,  had  all  the  re- 
sources of  civilisation  at  his  back.  He  was  in  a 
black  mood  all  that  first  day,  and  would  hardly 
throw  me  a  word.  He  ate  very  little,  and  drank 
nothing,  but  sat  and  wrote,  and  thought  and 
smoked  big  cigars  hour  after  hour,  the  grim  lines 
grimmer  than  ever  on  his  saturnine  face.  Butter- 
field  was  comparable  only  to  Mercury,  that  god  of 
quick  service.  He  came  and  went,  he  talked, 


288  THE  PRIVATEERS 

when  he  got  the  opportunity,  and  he  remained  as 
cheerful  as  his  "  boss  "  was  sombre. 

In  the  meantime,  if  you  please,  we  stayed  at  the 
Carlton,  as  if  we  were  enjoying  ourselves.  For 
myself  I  will  admit  that  I  was  far  from  doing  that. 
I  had  no  part  to  play  at  this  juncture ;  I  was  only 
under  orders,  to  await  orders;  and  I  got  none. 
Probably  Rudgwick  considered  me  of  no  use  to 
him.  I  do  not  know.  All  I  do  know  is  that  I 
grew  very  restive  and  impatient  at  the  inaction, 
and  that  I  dared  not  think  of  the  event  which  I 
was  aware  even  at  that  moment  might  have 
already  closed  my  adventure  and  rendered  my 
mission  vain. 

On  the  second  day  Butterfield  vanished,  and 
Rudgwick  relaxed.  He  drank  a  small  bottle  of 
champagne  at  lunch,  and  took  interest  in  the 
people  at  the  tables. 

"This  is  pretty  fair,"  he  remarked  critically. 
"  But  it  ain't  up  to  Delmonico's. "  Being  English- 
born,  as  he  had  already  explained,  he  allowed 
himself  the  privileges  of  a  candid  friend.  "And 
I  guess  it's  our  people  who  mostly  make  this 
smart.  There's  a  pretty  girl  for  you,  Kerslake. 
But  I  suppose  there's  only  one  for  you,  and  she's 
not  hereabouts.  Well,"  he  turned  a  whimsical 
gaze  on  me.  "It's  about  time  we  got  tracks  of 
her." 

It  seemed  almost  as  if  it  had  been  manipulated 


THE  PRIVATEERS  289 

with  a  dramatic  intent,  but  I  believe  it  was  mere 
coincidence.  Coincidence,  as  Rudgwick  told  me 
on  our  journey  that  night,  had  usually  favoured 
him.  The  gods  fight  with  the  heavy  battalions. 
At  any  rate  the  messenger  arrived  opportunely, 
almost  to  the  word,  and  Rudgwick  took  the 
brown  envelope  deliberately,  opened  it  and  read 
the  telegram. 

"We  pick  up  the  trail  at  St.  Ives,"  he  re- 
marked, his  accent  emerging  thick  and  heavy. 
He  tossed  the  paper  to  me,  and  I  read  eagerly. 

"Schooner  reported  off  Sennen,  working  north. 
Come  St.  Ives,        BUTTERFIELD. " 

Energy  and  money  had  once  more  triumphed, 
but  how  far  would  that  triumph  extend?  There 
was  no  answer  to  that  interesting  question  yet. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
RUNNING  THE  BLOCKADE 

IT  was  in  the  train  that  Rudgwick  aired  his 
views  on  coincidence.  "Providence,"  he  put  it, 
"  serves  with  the  eagles,  and  you'll  find  its  banners 
along  with  the  standards  of  the  strong.  Other- 
wise there  wouldn't  be  any  top-dog  at  all,  and  I 
reckon  the  world's  built  on  other  people's  adver- 
sities and  necessities.  What  do  you  and  I  live  on  ? 
Life.  We're  predatory;  and  what  do  the  sheep 
and  the  bullock  live  on?  Life  again.  We're 
predatory  all  round.  Dog  eats  dog,  and  the 
battle's  to  might  not  right,  though  it's  not  always 
to  the  strong.  Curious,  when  you  come  to  tick 
it  up,  how  prejudiced  morality  is.  You  can  do 
wholesale  what  you  can't  do  retail.  I  reckon 
there's  stupidity  in  it  and  custom.  Now,  they'll 
let  me  quite  comfortably,  if  I  wanted  to,  go  on 
selling  low-flash  oil  here  and  killing  and  maim- 
ing a  lot,  but  they  wouldn't  get  over  this  kid- 
napping business.  I  can  poison  a  score  of  men  with 
bad  canned  food  and  forty-rod  whiskey,  and  none 
will  hiss  at  me  when  I  walk  to  church  on  Sundays, 
but  let  me  draw  on  an  enemy  openly  at  twenty 

3QO 


THE  PRIVATEERS  291 

paces,  and  they  put  a  rope  round  my  neck.  A 
damned  odd  world!  Providence,"  he  concluded 
reflectively,  as  he  lay  back  in  his  corner,  "works 
a  lot  of  coincidences.  It's  a  coincidence  you're 
here.  What  the  devil  have  we  to  do  with  each 
other?" 

It  was  not  civil,  but  it  was  so  true  that  I  over- 
looked the  brusqueness  of  it.  What  had  we  in 
common,  we  who  had  one  end  in  common? 

Rudgwick  slept  and  I  pondered,  and  won- 
dered, and  forecast  and  hoped  and  thrilled 
all  through  the  night. 

Arrived  at  St.  Ives  with  the  sun  well  in  heaven 
we  were  met  by  a  messenger  from  Butterfield,  who 
had  gone  up  the  coast,  and  left  word  for  us  to 
that  effect.  The  schooner  had  passed  in  the  offing 
without  making  the  little  harbour  as  he  had 
thought  possible ;  and  so  he  had  gone  on  to  Perran- 
porth. 

We  reached  Perranporth  by  carriage  an  hour 
or  two  later  and  made  at  once  for  the  little  inn 
that  stands  on  the  foreshore.  The  blue  waters  of 
the  Atlantic  broke  upon  the  segment  of  beach  with 
a  sonorous  tumult.  It  was  a  bright  morning  and 
the  breath  of  June  was  in  the  air.  At  the  inn  we 
found  Butterfield  who  welcomed  his  "boss"  with 
an  account  of  his  adventures.  Reports  from  Fal- 
mouth  had  been  the  inspiration  of  his  journey  to 
the  west  and  he  had  arrived  to  discover  the 


292  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Mermaid  signalled  off  Land's  End.  Thence  he 
traced  her  to  St.  Ives. 

"She's  northering, "  said  Butterfield,  pointing 
seaward,  "  but  she  ain't  in  a  hurry  any." 

We  looked  through  the  windows  of  the  inn  and 
lo,  there  was  a  black-hulled  schooner  standing 
lazily  out. 

"I  reckon  Alston's  got  a  riddle  to  solve," 
chuckled  the  factotum. 

"How  so?"  asked  Rudgwick. 

"  Well,  he  fixed  it  up  to  land  at  St.  Ives,  and  he 
pretty  near  did  so,  only  I  put  up  a  danger  signal." 

"Eh?"  said  Rudgwick  sharply. 

"  Why  yes,  boss, "  said  the  other  explanatorily 
but  with  independence  of  tone.  "You  see,  he 
calculated  to  land  there,  and  conclude  the  busi- 
ness. I  couldn't  interfere  if  he  did,  and  so  I 
gave  him  a  fright."  Rudgwick  was  listening 
intently.  "He  came  ashore  in  a  boat,  and  the 
first  face  he  saw  there  was  mine.  Oh  Alston's  a 
polite  man,  and  he's  a  clever  one.  He  never 
turned  a  hair,  though  I  had  thrust  myself  through 
the  fishermen  and  stood  full  in  his  optics. " 

"  'Well,  isn't  it  real  nice  meeting  old  friends, 
Butterfield, '  says  he,  as  cool  as  you  like,  and  he 
shows  his  teeth  pleasantly.  By  gosh,  I  wouldn't 
like  them  just  fastened  in  me.  '  Friend  Nathan- 
iel, '  said  he, '  is  this  France  or  England,  and  what 
the  hell's  the  language  for  damn?'  Oh,  he's 


THE  PRIVATEERS  293 

smart.  He  stepped  ashore  and  took  me  up  to  the 
hotel,  and  didn't  ask  any  questions.  He  took 
it  all  for  granted.  '  Where  the  jackal  is,'  he  said, 
'  there  ought  to  be  big  game.  I  wish  I'd  brought 
my  rifle. '  I  gave  him  no  answer  but  a  laugh, 
and  he  laughed.  'Tell  Wilson,'  says  he,  'that 
he's  a  gem  in  his  way,  but  I'm  going  to  get  the 
curtain  down  on  me  in  a  proper  fashion.  So 
long,'  says  he,  and  off  he  went,  back  to  the 
schooner." 

Rudgwick  was  pondering;  it  was  I  who  spoke. 

"  Butterfield  was  right.  The  man  has  a  special 
licence  and  could  be  married  out  of  hand.  He 
would  have  been  had  Butterfield  not  shown 
himself." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  agreed  Rudgwick, 
"He  was  afraid  of  pushing  things  too  far." 

"I  guess  he  didn't  know  you  weren't  here," 
remarked  his  man. 

"And  yet  what  use  could  we  be  against  his 
designs?"  I  asked  despondently.  "You  a  man 
discredited  by  your  previous  conduct,  and  I — a — 
a — stranger?" 

"You  might  come  in  handy,  seeing  your  pre- 
vious record  of  chivalrous  conduct,"  said  Rudg- 
wick in  the  sneer  which  was  merely  the  state- 
ment of  facts,  "and  I  don't  go  into  a  fight  without 
arms.  See  here."  He  pulled  some  papers  from 
his  jacket.  "Did  you  think  I  was  having  a  nice 


294  THE  PRIVATEERS 

little  holiday  in  London?  No,  my  son,  here's 
documentary  evidence  cabled  from  America,  first 
regarding  Lovell's  will,  second  as  to  the  affairs 
of  Mr.  H.  Fordyce  Alston,  and  third — well, 
some  other  little  matters  which  we  needn't  go 
into.  Anyway,  they'd  wreck  Fordyce,  wreck 
him  in  a  brace  of  shakes  with  any  decent- 
minded  girl.  Reckon  he's  broke  through  the 
ropes  and  I'm  going  to  wipe  the  floor  with  him. 
I'll  knock  him  out,  anyway." 

He  folded  the  papers  carefully  and  replaced 
them  in  his  pocket.  "Say,  Butterfield,"  he  said 
sharply,  "where's  she  going?  You,  Lieutenant, 
this  is  your  shop.  Where's  she  bound  for?" 
He  stared  out  of  the  window  at  the  distant 
schooner  which  was  making  poor  way  in  a  light 
breeze. 

"She  might  be  going  anywhere  from  here  to 
John  O' Groats,"  I  answered. 

"That  so?  What  about  a  Scotch  marriage?" 
he  asked. 

I  shook  my  head.  "Residence  for  a  certain 
number  of  days  is  now  exacted,  and  besides  he 
holds  a  special  licence  which  runs  in  England  only."  , 

"Then  he  won't  go  to  Scotland,  and  we've 
circumscribed  him  between  here  and  the 
Cheviots,"  said  Rudgwick  briskly.  "That's  to 
the  good.  We  must  track  'em  along,  boys." 

There  was  no  other  course,  and  we  started 


THE  PRIVATEERS  295 

shortly  after  lunch  along  the  coast  towards 
New  Quay.  The  schooner  made  way  very  slowly, 
but  all  fear  that  we  should  lose  her  was  dissipa- 
ted by  the  fact  that  she  was  ill-provisioned. 

"I  provisioned  her  for  a  month  or  more,"  said 
Rudgwick,  "and  I  reckon  she's  been  five  weeks 
out.  So,  Master  Alston's  got  to  keep  in  touch 
with  shore.  There's  no  ocean  sailing  for  him." 

In  the  circumstances  there  was  no  immediate 
cause  for  anxiety,  and  we  took  our  way  leisurely 
up  the  coast  towards  Devon.  It  was  not  the  day 
that  mattered ;  it  was  the  night,  and  we  all  knew 
it.  Rudgwick  was  inclined  to  be  irritably  sar- 
castic towards  dusk,  and  when  we  dined  at 
Padstow,  he  was  frankly  sour  and  malignant. 

"How's  the  wind?"  he  demanded.  "Guess  she 
can  double  in  this,  can't  she,  Kerslake?  Damn 
Fordyce ;  I  wish  I  had  his  head  in  a  vice.  This 
suits  him.  This  just  suits  his  book.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  had  his  spy-glass  on  us  and  was 
chuckling." 

"It's  practically  a  blockade  he's  running,"  I 
said,  "and  night's  his  best  time." 

"Damnation!  don't  I  know  that?"  he  snapped. 
"Tell  me  something  else.  Here,  what's  the  use 
of  you  naval  people  if  you  don't  know  enough  to 
meet  an  emergency?  I'll  run  the  whole  show 
myself." 

His  impatient  ill-temper  served  no  purpose, 


296  THE  PRIVATEERS 

unless  it  were  to  bring  out  a  latent  side  of  his 
strange  temperament.  He  bullied,  he  was  in 
effect,  a  slave-driver,  if  things  went  wrong;  but 
all  the  time  his  brains  were  seethingly  active,  and 
he  cast  about  for  expedients.  At  one  time  he 
thought  of  chartering  the  whole  coast,  but  I 
pointed  out  the  impossibility  of  such  a  scheme. 

"This  is  not  America,"  I  told  him,  ["this  is 
Cornwall,  and  the  fishermen  have  their  rigid 
codes;  they  obey  the  law." 

"Well,"  said  he,  with  a  grin,  and  a  revulsion 
characteristic  of  him,  "I  reckon  I'm  better  in 
Wall  Street.  The  game's  yours  now.  That's 
what  you're  for.  I  didn't  take  you  in  out  of 
love.  It's  your  turn." 

"You  took  me  in,"  I  replied  coolly,  "as  a  useful 
counter,  and  I'm  content  to  play  that  part  so 
long  as  it  fits  in  with  my  scheme.  I  warned  you  of 
that."  He  grunted.  "And,  now,  if  you  please, 
I'll  take  command." 

"Right,  my  son,"  he  said,  lighting  his  cigar, 
"Give  me  Fordyce's  head  on  a  charger,  and  you 
can  name  your  price." 

"It  shall  not  be  asked  of  you,"  I  said.  "Sim- 
plicity is  the  soul  of  every  great  invention.  We 
want  to  prevent  Alston  from  landing,  or,  if  he 
lands,  keep  on  his  track.  We  can  watch  him  in 
the  daylight,  but  in  an  hour's  time  he  will  be 
able  to  elude  us,  unless — " 


THE  PRIVATEERS  297 

"Go  on,"  he  said  shortly. 

"Unless  we  get  near  enough  to  watch  him  still." 

He  did  not  speak  immediately  and  then, 
"Scott!"  he  exclaimed,  "what  a  blamed  fool  you 
were  not  to  think  of  that  before!  And  as  for 
you,  Nathaniel  Butterfield,  if  you  were  a  nigger 
I'd  tan  the  skin  off  you.  Say,  get  away  and 
secure  a  boat." 

He  spoke  in  great  good-humor,  for  his  quick 
mind  had  at  once  grasped  the  idea;  and  we  had 
engaged  a  sailing  boat  ere  half  an  hour  was  out. 

The  long  ripple  of  the  sea  took  us  out  in  the 
dusk  in  the  company  of  a  stolid  boatman  who, 
from  the  ignorance  of  my  comrades,  was  necessary 
to  me  in  working  the  craft.  The  Mermaid  stood 
some  three  miles  out  heading  nor-nor-west,  and 
we  could  not  hope  to  overtake  her  if  Alston 
intended  to  go  farther.  But  if  he  did  it  would 
serve  our  purpose  equally  well,  for  it  would  mean 
that  he  had  no  design  to  land  at  Padstow  or  Bude 
that  night.  Yet  I  felt  certain  he  would  make 
the  attempt.  Indeed,  I  seemed  to  see  ourselves  in 
the  role  of  Tantalus.  He  knew  we  were  on  the 
look-out  for  him,  and  he  had  probably  kept  in 
sight  of  land  out  of  sheer  wantonness.  He 
could  keep  us  on  edge  all  day,  and  then 
slip  in  at  night.  The  idea  from  what  I  knew  of 
him  would  appeal  to  his  pleasant  sense  of  humor. 
I  laid  the  boat's  nose  on  her  course  and  we  moved 


298  THE  PRIVATEERS 

out  on  a  growing  breeze  until  we  must  have  been 
two  miles  off  shore,  and  were  then  in  full  darkness. 
The  night  was  cloudy,  and  was  only  relieved  by 
dotted  lights  in  the  distance  that  witnessed  to 
the  passage  of  ships  or  to  some  miscellany  of 
houses  on  the  coast. 

One  of  the  former  brightened  visibly  as  time 
went  on,  and  presently  we  were  able  to  make  out 
a  looming  shape  that  noiselessly  emerged  from  the 
greater  darkness  that  invested  the  sea.  We 
carried  no  light  ourselves,  greatly  to  the  pertur- 
bation of  our  man,  nor  can  I  defend  the  omission 
save  on  the  ground  that  it  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  our  purpose. 

As  the  shape  went  by  I  put  my  hand  on  Rudg- 
wick's  arm. 

"It's  the  schooner!"  I  whispered. 

"Is  it?"  he  ejaculated,  staring  into  the  night, 
"Put  her  about,  man." 

"No;  no;  not  yet,"  said  I.  "Leave  it  to  me." 

We  ran  a  little  longer  on  the  tack  and  then  came 
round.  The  light  in  the  rigging  of  the  Mermaid 
made  a  little  dancing  line  of  radiance  in  the  water, 
and  that  we  followed. 

"She's  not  going  for  Padstow,"  I  said,  "or 
she  would  be  on  the  other  board." 

"I  don't  care  where  she  goes  as  long  as  we  get 
there,"  remarked  Rudgwick  grimly. 

We  could  not  keep  her  pace  and  fell  to  the  rear, 


THE  PRIVATEERS  299 

which  made  him  mightily  impatient,  but  I  was 
not  alarmed  myself,  for  I  knew  I  could  stick  to 
her  and  trace  her,  now  I  had  once  got  her.  There 
were  not  too  many  ports  on  that  coast  for  a  sailing 
vessel  to  make,  and  I  should  be  able  to  give  a  good 
guess  directly  at  her  destination. 

Presently  the  light  obviously  increased,  and  I 
wondered  if  she  had  come  round,  but  in  ten  min- 
utes it  was  clear  what  had  happened.  She  was 
hanging  in  stays  while  a  boat  was  put  off.  We 
had  now  the  secret  in  our  possession.  Alston 
was  to  land  by  boat  from  the  yacht  in  the  dead  of 
night,  and  we  could  not  but  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  he  would  not  be  alone.  Sylvia  Lovell 
would  go  with  him! 

I  put  the  tiller  over  and  we  went  about  into 
the  darkness,  in  which  that  eye  of  light  still 
opened.  I  guessed  we  were  within  half  a  mile  of 
the  shore,  and  the  breeze  had  stiffened  so  that 
we  could  soon  cover  that  distance  in  the  wake  of 
the  fugitive.  The  little  noises  of  the  quiet  sea 
did  not  prevail  to  drown  the  sound  of  voices 
which  reached  us,  and  presently  I  was  aware  that 
the  schooner  was  moving.  She  had  launched 
her  boat. 

I,  therefore,  came  over  and  took  a  board  in  the 
direction  in  which  I  conceived  Alston  was  lying. 
So  far  as  we  could  determine,  his  boat  also  carried 
no  lights,  but  I  did  not  mind  that,  for  I  could  not 


300  THE  PRIVATEERS 

miss  him  now.  He  had  given  himself  into  my 
hands.  I  knew  nothing  of  finance,  of  operations, 
or  of  Stock  Exchange  trickery ;  but  if  I  knew  any- 
thing I  knew  the  sea,  and  I  no  more  considered  a 
leeshore  in  the  dark  with  a  freshening  sou'wester 
than  I  would  a  game  of  football.  There  were  risks 
but  I  knew  where  they  lay,  and  I  was  confident 
of  my  ability  to  avoid  them.  Besides,  that  coast 
was  familiar  to  me  from  several  visits. 

For  some  time  we  ripped  through  a  swelling  sea 
without  event,  and  without  news  of  our  neighbours ; 
and  Butterfield  began  to  display  signs  of  uneasi- 
ness. He  whispered  to  me,  demanded  if  I  was 
sure  we  were  on  the  right  course,  and  fidgetted 
in  his  seat.  Rudgwick,  on  the  contrary,  was 
silent,  and  had  recovered  all  his  native  calm. 
Once  he  spoke,  and  once  only,  which  was  to  re- 
buke his  subordinate  curtly. 

"Leave  him  alone,  man.  Can't  you  see  he's 
at  home?  Buy  the  best  man  and  trust  him. 
That's  the  game ;  you're  as  restless  as  a  cat.  Cur] 
up  and  go  to  sleep,  and  purr.  We've  got  no  use 
for  you  just  now." 

That  settled  Butterfield,  if  I  may  put  it  in  that 
way,  and  I  justified  his  master's  faith  very  shortly 
afterwards  by  almost  running  down  a  boat. 

"Steady!"  sang  out  a  voice.  "Where  the  blazes 
is  your  light?" 

"Where  the  blazes  is  yours  ?"  shouted  Rudgwick 


THE  PRIVATEERS  301 

with  a  chuckle.  "Now,  we  lay  on  to  them,  Kerslake. 
That's  Jude's  bellow.  I'd  know  it  anywhere." 

Silence  had  fallen  after  that  exchange,  but  the 
boat  was  visible,  dimly  a  shadow  falling  and  rising 
on  the  sea.  It  seemed  to  hesitate,  to  have  come 
to  a  pause ;  and  then  I  heard  a  voice,  which  it  was 
impossible  to  doubt,  of  pleasant  quality  even  in  its 
loudness. 

"Rudgwick,  that  you?" 

"I  guess  that  curtain's  near,  Fordyce,"  shouted 
back  Rudgwick.  There  was  a  pause  again,  and 
then  the  voice  again. 

"Kerslake  there?" 

"Guessed  it  in  once,"  cried  Rudgwick. 

"Good.  That's  all  I  want  to  know,"  said 
Alston,  and  spoke  in  a  lower  voice.  Imme- 
diately the  blot  that  was  his  boat  vanished;  the 
shadow  passed  off  the  face  of  the  sea.  I  hauled 
in  the  sheet  to  get  nearer  to  the  wind,  and  we 
ambled  gently  after  her. 

"Come  to  think  of  it,"  observed  Rudgwick, 
"why  did  Fordyce  want  to  know?  I  guess  he 
guessed." 

It  was  almost  certain  that  he  had  done,  yet  he 
had  advertised  his  knowledge  to  the  night.  Well, 
he  had  some  reason  which  was  not  merely  humour- 
ous; of  that  I  was  positive.  Rudgwick  was  in 
high  spirits. 

"He's  tantalised  us  a  bit  too  much.     He's  run 


302  THE  PRIVATEERS 

it  too  fine,"  he  said.  "There's  no  margin,  and 
that's  a  fact." 

It  seemed  so,  and  yet  nothing  is  beyond  the 
possibility  of  accident  and  an  accident  came  to 
his  assistance.  There  was  light  enough  to  go  by 
now  from  a  breach  in  the  clouds  through  which 
stars  were  shining,  and  we  could  see  distinctly 
the  schooner's  boat,  heavily  rigged,  making  for 
the  beach.  The  roar  of  the  sea  pounding  on  the 
sand  was  uppermost  in  the  ears.  We  were  but  a 
hundred  yards  away,  and  our  fugitive  was  gliding 
into  the  encompassing  darkness  halfway  betwixt 
us  and  the  shore.  At  that  juncture  one  would 
have  been  sure  of  hitting  them  blindfold,  and  we 
were  faster  than  they.  I  had  given  the  tiller  to 
our  boatman  with  precise  instructions,  and  had 
gone  forward  to  the  bows.  We  were  near  upon 
them  in  a  stride,  and  then  Jude  (if  it  were  he) 
coolly  put  his  craft  broadside  to  the  rollers,  and 
rode  off  to  the  north,  rocking  and  floundering 
in  the  water. 

It  was  a  rash  stratagem,  but  it  succeeded  so 
far  as  we  were  concerned.  I  would  have  followed 
him,  but  our  cautious  fisherman  kept  her  nose 
straight.  The  result  was  that  we  grounded 
heavily  at  least  thirty  yards  from  them. 

I  was  out  on  the  sands  in  a  moment,  with  the 
agile  Butterfield  at  my  heels,  and  we  ran  for  the 
enemy. 


"I  was  out  on  the  sands  in  a  moment,  with  the  agile  Butterfield  at 
my  heels" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  303 

"Miss  Lovell!"  I  shouted. 

"Damn  it,  you've  missed  them!"  thundered 
Rudgwick. 

The  group  of  dim  figures  scattered,  and  when  we 
reached  the  spot  I  could  determine  only  the  short 
sturdy  form  of  the  schooner's  captain.  The 
clamour  of  the  sea  was  in  my  ears,  and  I  could  hear 
nothing  else.  Yet  I  carried  in  my  mind  a  vague 
recollection  of  something  flying  along  the  sands. 
....  I  dashed  off  for  the  cliffs  which  reared  them- 
selves a  hundred  yards  away. 

The  bare  scarp  of  the  cliff  was  precipitous  and 
broken,  and  though  I  tried  half  a  dozen  places  I 
could  find  no  means  of  scaling  them.  Butterfield 
had  followed  me,  and  we  consulted  hurriedly. 

"No  girl  could  climb  this,"  said  he.  "They 
must  have  gone  one  way  or  the  other  along  the 
beach." 

"You  go  south,  and  I'll  take  the  north,"  I 
answered.  "They  mustn't  get  away,  or  we're 
done." 

We  parted  at  that  without  more  words,  and  I 
hastily  followed  the  line  of  the  cliffs  northwards, 
ever  keeping  an  eye  to  the  possibility  of  ascent. 
What  first  gave  me  pause  was  a  gaping  cavern  in 
the  rocks  which  yawned  blackly  at  me.  Was  it 
possible  that  the  fugitives  had  concealed  them- 
selves in  this  ?  I  was  still  wondering  when  a  slight 
noise  caught  my  ear,  and  I  thought  an  elusive 


304  THE  PRIVATEERS 

figure  flitted  into  the  twilight  of  the  beach.  I 
darted  after  it,  and,  gaming  a  little,  descried  it 
definitely.  It  turned  a  corner  of  road  and  vanish- 
ed. I  followed,  and  found  the  cliff  here  leaning 
landwards  at  an  angle;  also  I  heard  noises  above 
me.  I  set  to  work  at  once  to  climb. 

It  was  hard  work,  groping  in  the  darkness  for 
edges  of  rock,  and  surrounding  the  interposing 
obstacles,  but  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  had  gained 
the  top,  and  heard  the  sound  of  voices  in  the 
distance.  There  was  then  more  than  one  person, 
and  I  thought  I  knew  who  the  other  was. 
She  fled  from  Rudgwick,  and  it  dawned  upon  me, 
suddenly  in  the  thrill  of  my  pursuit — from  me! 
That  was  the  explanation  of  Alston's  questions; 
that  was  his  abominable  cunning.  Sylvia  had 
every  reason  to  dread  re-capture  by  Rudgwick, 
the  man  who  had  abducted  her  so  ruthlessly; 
and  she  found  me  now  in  association  with  him. 
She  had  no  key  to  the  secret,  and  it  must  have 
appeared  to  her  that  I  had  inexplicably  joined  her 
arch-enemy.  She  fled  from  me. 

The  thought  infuriated  me  with  Alston,  and  I 
redoubled  my  efforts  to  overtake  them.  The  way 
lay  across  a  series  of  grassy  dunes,  and  was  now 
plunged  again  in  night.  I  moved  swiftly,  but 
uncertainly,  stopping  from  time  to  time  to  listen. 
The  dull  roar  of  the  water  came  to  me  now  out  of  the 
distance  from  under  the  beetling  cliffs,  and  some- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  305 

times  I  thought  I  heard  a  voice  or  the  sound  of 
feet.  Once  or  twice  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  caught 
sight  of  a  figure,  but  it  might  have  been  the  tus- 
sock-grass against  the  lighter  sky.  All  I  knew 
was  that  I  blundered  on  in  what  I  conjectured 
to  be  the  track  of  the  American,  too  full  of  the 
frenzy  of  the  chase  to  turn  back  or  despair. 

It  was  after  about  an  hour  of  wandering 
that  I  emerged  upon  a  road,  and  ran  into  a  stone 
fence.  A  point  of  light  arrested  my  attention,  and 
I  groped  my  way  towards  it.  It  came,  as  I  made 
out,  from  a  cottage  by  the  roadside,  and  I  suc- 
ceeded in  stumbling  to  the  doorway  and  knocked. 
The  time  must  have  been  midnight  or  later,  but 
the  light  showed  that  some  one  was  about.  I 
had  by  this  time  given  Alston  up,  and  the  only 
thing  left  me  was  to  get  back  to  the  shore  and  the 
boat. 

The  door  was  pulled  ajar,  and  a  candle  flared 
on  my  face. 

"Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine  enemy?"  asked 
a  familiar  voice. 

It  was  Alston. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 
THE  COMING  OF  THE  TIDE 

HE  held  the  candle  over  his  head,  and  I  saw 
behind  him  a  rough  cottager  who  stared  at  me 
stupidly. 

"Come  in,  Kerslake, "  went  on  Alston,  "Come 
in.  Our  friend  will  doubtless  make  two  com- 
fortable as  easily  as  one.  I  guess  I'm  thirsty 
after  that  run.  So  are  you,  I  bet.  I've  been 
enquiring  into  the  commissariat,  and  find  there's 
home-brewed  beer  anyway — if  not  cyder.  How's 
that?" 

I  entered  almost  mechanically,  amazed  at  this 
apparition,  and  he  closed  the  door. 

"Say,  this  is  real  good  of  you,"  he  said,  ad- 
dressing the  labourer,  "to  take  in  two  poor 
homeless  strangers.  And  my  friend  and  I  feel 
very  grateful."  He  put  a  piece  of  silver  on  the 
table.  "  But  there's  no  need  to  keep  you  up.  I 
reckon  we  can  get  along  quite  easy,  if  you'll  point 
out  the  cyder.  We'll  just  have  a  chat  and  a 
snooze  in  our  chairs.  This,  Kerslake,  is  wayside 
hospitality  in  the  old  country. " 

In  some  wonder  and  with  some  reluctance  our 
306 


THE  PRIVATEERS  307 

host  took  himself  off  to  his  chamber,  and  Alston, 
after  pouring  out  a  glass  of  cyder  for  each  of  us, 
sat  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  table  from  me. 
His  eyes  twinkled  at  me,  as  if  he  enjoyed  a  joke 
hugely. 

"  Where  is  Miss  Lovell? "  I  demanded. 

His  eyes  opened  wider.  "Do  you  suppose 
she'd  be  here?"  he  asked  in  surprise,  "Do  you 
reckon  I'm  going  to  run  about  the  country  with  a 
delicate  young  girl  at  this  time  of  night?  Where 
do  you  suppose  she  is  ? " 

"  She  landed  with  you, "  I  declared. 

"  That  so  ? "  he  said  coolly.  "'  Well,  you  ought  to 
know  best  anyway.  I  was  under  the  impression 
that  Miss  Lovell  was  comfortably  aboard  the 
Mermaid,  the  yacht  so  kindly  placed  at  my 
disposal  by  my  old  friend,  Wilson  Rudgwick. " 

I  gazed  at  him.  His  face  was  a  mask,  but  I  had 
more  than  once  seen  passion  bubble  up  in  it,  as  I 
was  destined  to  do  yet  again  ere  we  were  finished. 
Now  that  he  put  it  in  that  way,  bluntly,  I  had  no 
proof,  I  had  no  evidence  whatever,  that  Sylvia 
Lovell  had  come  ashore.  He  saw  that  he  had 
dumfounded  me,  and  a  smile  played  about  his 
eyes. 

"  I  don't  disguise  the  fact  that  you  and  I  are  at 
loggerheads,  Kerslake, "  he  said.  "You  gave  me  to 
understand  that  some  time  ago.  That's  all  right. 
I'm  not  blaming  you  any;  and  I  reckoned  when 


308  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I  took  French  leave  that  you  and  Wilson  would 
throw  in  your  lots  together.  But  all  the  same  I 
don't  see  why  we  shouldn't  come  to  an  agree- 
ment. " 

"Your  idea  of  life  is  one  of  barter,"  I  said 
contemptuously. 

"Compromise,"  he  corrected;  "life  is  all 
compromise,  and  there's  no  such  thing  as  yea  or 
nay,  or  black  or  white.  There's  mostly  'probab- 
lies'  and  greys.  It  don't  do  to  criticise  life  too 
roughly.  You  can't  put  it  under  the  microscope 
en  bloc.  Say,  you're  in  this  for  sentiment;  well 
so  am  I." 

My  disbelief  appeared  in  my  derisive  smile. 
"  You  forget  that  I  know  the  whole  history  of  the 
affair  from  Rudgwick, "  I  said. 

"  I  hopped  on  to  that.  I  know  Wilson.  He's 
mad  as  an  old  bear,  isn't  he?  It  won't  do  him 
any  harm  much.  He's  got  to  freeze  me  out  yet, 
and  he  hasn't  begun. " 

"You'll  find  it  pretty  difficult,"  I  suggested. 
"  You're  marked. " 

He  laughed,  "Oh,  I  know  Wilson.  Got  the 
whole  apparatus  at  work,  hasn't  he?  Spies  in 
every  port.  He's  a  rare  hand  with  the  mechanism 
but  he  don't  begin  to  use  the  spirit  of  the  thing. 
Say,  Kerslake,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ? " 

"I'm  going  to  prevent  this  marriage,"  I  said 
firmly. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  309 

He  mused.  "You  can  do  that  for  a  time, "  he 
said,  "but  you  won't  pull  it  off  altogether. 
Where's  Wilson?  and  where's  my  friend  Butter- 
field  ?  Not  waiting  outside,  eh  ?'' 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders.  He  smiled.  "Well, 
I'm  going  to  have  a  little  rest  in  this  chair.  You 
can  please  yourself.  I  don't  mind  your  company. 
In  fact  I'll  take  it  friendly  if  you'll  come  up  with 
me  to  London  in  the  morning. " 

"  London!"  I  ejaculated,  taken  by  surprise. 

"London  it  is.  I'm  on  business,  and  it's  not 
unconnected  with  this  little  game,  but  I  don't 
mind  your  company.  It  will  while  away  the 
journey." 

What  did  this  mean?  Was  his  offer  genuine, 
and  did  he  really  desire  me  to  leave  the  place  ?  It 
sounded  so  offhand,  for  it  would  be  awkward  for 
him  to  travel  with  one  professing  open  hostility 
and  thus  able  to  spy  upon  his  actions.  Then  he 
must  have  a  good  reason  for  wishing  me  away 
from  the  coast.  But  on  the  other  hand  his  plans 
were  never  simple,  and  he  might  have  made  the 
suggestion  in  the  hope  that  I  would  suspect  him, 
and  refuse.  Was  Miss  Lovell  really  aboard  the 
schooner? 

Suddenly,  as  he  watched  me,  an  idea  possessed 
me.  I  think  I  gathered  it  from  his  brooding  eyes. 
How  was  it  that  we  had  so  surprisingly  met  there 
in  that  wayside  cottage?  Was  it  sheer  coinci- 


310  THE  PRIVATEERS 

dence?  I  had  chased  him  blindly  in  a  blind 
night  over  the  downs  for  an  hour  and  we  en- 
countered fortuitously.  No;  there  was  some- 
thing else  in  it  to  account  for  our  meeting.  Was 
it  possible  that  he  had  left  a  trail  all  the  way? 
Did  he  want  to  draw  me  aside?  The  truth 
flashed  upon  me,  I  say.  He  was  the  decoy.  He 
had  brought  me  here  on  purpose  to  fool  me,  as  he 
had  nearly  succeeded  in  doing.  There  was  the 
memory  of  two  dim  figures  that  fled  in  the 
night. 

"I've  come  to  the  conclusion,  Alston,  that 
you're  a  very  clever  person, "  I  said,  "  and  I  doubt 
my  capacity  to  deal  with  you.  I  think  on  the 
whole,  Rudgwick  ought  to  play  you,  on  the 
principle  of  setting  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief. " 

"You're  not  mighty  thick  then,  you  and 
Wilson, "  he  said  with  a  laugh. 

"We  are  allies  for  the  moment,  and  no  more, 
in  that  we  have  the  same  object.  But  he's 
more  of  a  kidney  with  you,  and  I  think  111  leave 
you  to  him.  If  you  had  me,  you'd  trick  me,  and 
I  think,  moreover,  I'm  better  at  sea  than  on 
land." 

He  scrutinised  me  carefully.  "Well,  it  don't 
make  any  odds,"  he  said  at  last.  "You  can 
follow  your  own  game.  As  for  me,  I'm  going  to 
enjoy  a  snooze." 

He  lay  back  in  his  chair,  and  I  rose. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  311 

"  I  have  no  time  for  pleasure, "  I  said,  "  I'm  on 
the  road." 

" Going  to  look  up  Wilson?"  he  asked  " Give 
him  my  best  regards .  So  long. ' ' 

I  opened  the  door  of  the  cottage  and  went  out. 
Night  still  reigned,  but  the  horizon  was  murky 
blue.  I  walked  along  the  road  for  a  mile,  and 
then,  assuring  myself  that  I  was  not  followed,  I 
turned  across  the  dunes  and  struck  out  for  the 
coast.  I  was  bent  now  upon  regaining  the  cove  in 
which  we  had  landed,  for  I  felt  that  the  solution  of 
the  riddle  was  to  be  found  there.  If  not,  at  least 
I  should  be  able  to  get  on  the  track  of  my  com- 
panions, and  hear  what  their  news  was  and 
communicate  mine.  I  had  no  interest  now  in 
Alston.  I  distrusted  him  utterly,  and  I  did  not 
care  whether  he  went  to  London  or  remained 
where  he  was.  My  business  did  not  concern  him, 
but  Sylvia  Lovell. 

It  was  the  best  part  of  an  hour  before  I  reached 
the  cliffs,  and  by  that  time  the  sky  was  lightening 
greyly  in  the  east.  The  sea,  a  grey  and  restless 
mass  below  me,  moaned  in  the  ears.  I  walked 
along  the  cliffs  for  some  time  until  I  thought  I 
recognised  the  scene  of  our  disembarkment,  and 
here  I  descended  the  precipitous  face  to  the 
sands.  It  was  half  tide,  and  the  waves  came  in 
with  an  increasing  roar,  breaking  on  the  outlying 
point  of  rock  that  formed  one  limit  of  the  little 


312  THE  PRIVATEERS 

bay.  I  made  search  from  end  to  end  but  found 
no  sign  of  living  being.  Butterfield  and  his 
master  had  vanished. 

In  the  course  of  the  third  or  fourth  perambu- 
lation of  the  bay  my  eye  was  caught  by  a  flicker  of 
light,  which  seemed  to  be  artificial,  and  I  ap- 
proached the  spot  cautiously.  The  sea  covered 
the  noise  of  my  footsteps,  and  thus  I  was  able  to 
enter  the  mouth  of  a  cavern  without  attracting 
attention.  In  a  corner  of  the  cave,  retired  from 
the  outward  view,  sat  Miss  Lovell,  a  dull  lantern 
burning  by  her  side. 

I  knew  her  at  once,  though  I  could  not  see  her 
face.  Something  in  her  leapt  towards  me  and 
told  me  that  it  was  she.  My  heart  bounded.  I 
had  been  right.  I  ran  forward. 

"Miss  Lovell!"  I  shouted. 

She  got  quickly  to  her  feet  and  threw  a  fright- 
ened glance  at  me. 

"  You! "  she  said  with  a  sob.  "  Oh,  why  do  you 
persecute  me  so?"  and  dropping  the  lantern  she 
fled  into  the  interior  of  the  cavern. 

I  followed,  calling  on  her:  "Miss  Lovell!  Miss 
Lovell!" 

No  sound  issued.  The  place  was  in  profound 
blackness,  and  seemed  to  be  of  vast  size.  I  ran 
and  groped  my  way,  stumbling  occasionally  on 
unseen  surfaces,  and  barking  my  shins  on  pro- 
jecting points  of  rock.  The  cavern  narrowed,  so 


"I  ran  forward.    'Miss  Lovelll'  I  shouted' 


THE  PRIVATEERS  313 

that  I  was  forced  to  walk,  and  then  seemed  to 
open  out  again.  I  struck  a  match,  and  found 
myself  in  a  vault  of  considerable  size  with  pas- 
sages leading  out  of  it.  One  or  two  of  these  I 
explored  with  the  assistance  of  my  matches,  but 
at  last  my  supply  gave  out,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
feel  my  way  back  towards  the  outer  air.  I 
stopped  to  listen  at  intervals,  but  heard  nothing. 
It  was  as  if  she  had  passed  into  the  realms  of  the 
dead  and  silence ;  only  the  hollow  murmur  of  the 
sea  filled  the  empty  cavern. 

I  emerged  and  sat  outside  sick  at  heart  in  the 
dispersing  night.  I  cursed  the  iniquitous  cun- 
ning of  Alston  which  had  poisoned  her  mind 
against  me,  and  sapped  her  faith.  But  cursing 
was  of  no  use.  I  had  no  option  but  to  wait 
events.  And  then  to  me  waiting  came  an  under- 
standing of  the  design,  and  a  little  better  hope. 
Alston,  finding  he  was  pressed,  and  seeing  it  was 
impossible  to  get  Miss  Lovell  away,  had  left  her  in 
the  cave,  and  lured  me  away.  That  meant  that 
he  was  to  return,  and  his  demeanour  at  the 
cottage  had  been  merely  "bluff."  Doubtless  he 
had  hoped  to  obtain  from  me  some  information  as 
to  the  whereabouts  of  my  companions,  for  a  guide 
to  his  actions.  When  he  did  come — I  sat,  buoyed 
up  by  a  new  confidence,  making  many  plans. 

I  was  roused  from  them  by  a  louder  roar  of  the 
sea,  and  a  dash  of  spray  which  drenched  me.  I 


THE  PRIVATEERS 


got  up,  and  in  the  grey  light  saw  that  the  tide  was 
swiftly  advancing.  Smitten  by  a  sudden  terror  I 
went  a  little  way  along  the  dwindling  slip  of  beach, 
and  discovered  that  the  water  was  right  up 
against  the  cliffs.  Only  before  the  cave  was  there 
any  space  left.  The  crags  overhead  were  sheer 
and  formidable,  but  a  little  to  one  side  they  sloped 
inwards  and  a  foothold  was  possible.  There  was 
no  time  to  lose. 

I  rushed  back  into  the  cave  and  called,  "Miss 
Lovell!  Miss  Lovell!  The  tide  is  coming  in  fast. 
There  is  danger.  Miss  Lovell  !  '  ' 

No  answer  came  back  to  me.  The  boom  of  the 
water  filled  the  cavern,  and  a  flood  of  spume 
dispersed  from  a  broken  wave  into  the  entrance. 
The  tide  was  racing  in.  I  plunged  deeper  into  the 
darkness,  calling,  calling. 

I  entreated. 

"Miss  Lovell!    Miss  Lovell!" 

Outside  the  sea  bellowed;  and  still  there  was 
silence  within.  I  ran  into  the  interior  cave, 
knocking  my  temple  against  the  wall,  and  was 
just  conscious  of  the  warm  blood  that  trickled 
down  my  face.  The  tide  stormed  the  cavern  like 
thunder. 

"  Sylvia  !  Sylvia  !  "  I  called.  "  For  God's  sake, 
Sylvia,  my  darling.  Come  to  me,  Sylvia  !  " 

And  then  I  was  aware  of  a  pitiful  little  cry,  as 
it  were  a  puppy  that  whimpered,  and  something 


THE  PRIVATEERS  315 

living  and  warm  was  against  me.  Something 
citing  to  me,  weeping,  and  sobbing  hysterically. 
Something  cried  against  me,  imploring  me : 

"Take  me  away!  Save  me!  Oh  take  me 
away!' 

I  put  my  arms  about  her  and  half-dragged, 
half -carried  her  towards  the  mouth  of  the  cavern, 
which  was  now  alive  with  the  sea.  There  was 
after  each  receding  wave  but  a  thin  margin  of  wet 
sand  on  which  we  might  stand;  and  the  waves 
rolled  in  and  buffeted  us  every  moment.  Access 
to  the  slope  I  had  noticed  was  now  cut  off  com- 
pletely. We  were  doomed  unless  a  miracle 
should  happen. 

Yet  even  in  that  anxious  misery  I  could  not  be 
unhappy.  Sylvia's  light  warm  body  clung  to  me. 

"  Save  me ! ' '  she  cried. 

"My  darling!  my  darling!"  I  cried  back. 
"Why  did  you  not  trust  me,  me  who  would  die 
for  you?" 

"  Oh ,  it  is  cold ,"  she  whispered .     "Save  me ! '  * 

"  Kiss  me,  dearest, "  I  said,  and  my  lips  pressed 
hers,  hers  unresisting.  She  hung  heavily  on  my 
arms;  she  had  fainted. 

The  sea  was  gathering  fresh  strength  every 
minute,  and  the  assault  on  the  land  would  be 
presently  catastrophic.  The  dawn  was  come, 
but  the  light  gave  me  no  hope.  The  cliff  rose  like 
a  wall,  unscalable,  and  above  the  height  a  seagull 


316  THE  PRIVATEERS 

was  crying.  I  sheltered  my  love  as  well  as  I  could 
from  the  infuriate  waves.  Then,  of  a  sudden,  I 
heard  my  name,  and  craning  my  neck  saw  a  figure 
on  the  cliff  above. 

"Keep  a  hold,  Kerslake,"  said  Alston's  voice. 
" I've  got  a  rope,  and  I'll  let  it  down.  Hear?" 

"Yes,  "I  shouted. 

"  I'll  loop  it  with  a  hitch,  and  pull  her  up. " 

"Right,"  I  shouted  back,  and  waited  with  my 
back  to  the  frenzied  sea. 

The  foam  was  breaking  over  us  now,  and  the 
tide  had  gathered  about  our  knees,  and  poured 
through  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  with  the  noise  of 
artillery;  but  presently,  straining  my  eyes  anx- 
iously upwards,  I  perceived  a  small  grey  rope 
descending  the  face  of  the  precipice,  and  my  heart 
bounded  in  relief.  The  girl  hung  a  dead  weight  on 
my  arms. 

When  the  rope  reached  me  I  secured  her  with 
some  difficulty  in  the  swing,  tying  her  round  the 
arms,  and  over  the  bosom  for  additional  safety; 
and  then  I  made  a  signal  to  Alston  above,  whilst 
all  the  time  the  sea  leapt  at  me  and  lashed  and 
blinded  me.  The  rope  with  its  precious  burden 
went  up  slowly,  too  slowly  for  my  impatient  eyes ; 
but  at  least  it  went  surely.  The  man  at  the  end  of 
it  was  strong,  of  iron  nerve,  and  of  a  determination 
I  could  not  doubt.  I  would  sooner  have  had  him 
at  that  moment  at  the  end  of  the  rope  than  anyone 


THE  PRIVATEERS  317 

I  knew.  Sylvia  Lovell,  still  unconscious,  receded 
into  safety,  a  dwindling  bundle  against  the 
heights,  swinging  in  her  improvised  cradle,  now 
spinning  round,  now  hesitating,  and  then  again 
striking  at  an  angle  of  rock,  and  being  skillfully 
eased  away  and  steered  free  of  difficult  places  by 
the  ingenious  hand  that  controlled  her  destinies. 

Controlled  her  destinies !  Even  as  she  faded  up- 
wards the  spasm  of  fear  which  I  had  so  often  felt 
in  connection  with  Alston  recurred.  He  was  once 
more  in  control  of  her  fate,  and  all  my  contrivance 
and  plotting  and  work  had  been  for  nothing. 
Under  the  flail  of  the  sea  I  stood  there,  looking  up- 
wards, doubting,  fearing,  wondering,  and  for  the 
time  being  all  unconscious  of  my  position.  But 
to  that  I  was  recalled,  and  in  the  same  moment  I 
had  the  answer  to  my  doubts.  Sylvia  Lovell's  in- 
animate body  disappeared  over  the  cliff-top,  and 
with  it  Alston  also  disappeared.  His  head  was 
visible  for  a  time  as  he  put  out  his  arm  and  dragged 
her  into  safety.  But  that  was  all.  It  did  not  re- 
appear. He  never  came  back. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  waves  were  breaking 
about  my  waist,  and  hurling  me  against  the  rocks, 
and  overhead  in  the  full  light  of  dawn  there  was 
no  human  being,  nor  any  sound  of  life.  Nothing 
reigned  there  save  the  savage  elements,  the 
screeching,  howling,  turbulent  sea. 

I  shouted  till  my  voice  was  hoarse.     I  called  to 


3i8  THE  PRIVATEERS 

Alston  by  name.  But  no  answer  came  to  me  and 
I  knew  the  truth.  I  had  been  abandoned  ruth- 
lessly, as  ruthlessly  as  he  had  sacrificed  the  hap- 
piness of  Sylvia  Lovell,  as  ruthlessly  as  he  would 
sacrifice  any  human  creature  that  stood  between 
him  and  his  end. 

I  became  aware  now  of  the  outward  drag  of  the 
sea.  The  water  pressed  upon  me  in  rapidly  suc- 
ceeding waves,  and  after  each  blow  the  undertow 
sucked  at  me;  as  if  some  giant  had  endeavoured 
to  strike  me  senseless  and  then  bear  off  my  un- 
conscious body  into  the  wastes  and  deeps  of  the 
ocean.  But  so  far  I  had  resisted  the  assault, 
though  my  chances  of  continuing  to  do  so  with  the 
inroad  of  the  tide  were  poor  indeed.  As  the  tide 
rose  it  would  overwhelm  me ;  it  reached  my  heart 
now,  and  I  staggered  under  it.  Several  times  I 
went  down  in  the  mellay  of  surf  and  spume  and 
rock.  The  time  would  come  when  I  should  not  be 
able  to  recover  my  footing,  and  then  I  should  be 
the  helpless  prey  of  the  undertow.  To  me,  buf- 
feted about  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  the  incoming 
water,  which  was  but  little  under  the  level  of  my 
eyes,  seemed  a  surging,  rolling,  terrific  green  plain, 
ever  restless,  ever  menacing.  Its  irresistibility  was 
the  most  significant  thing  about  it,  its  irresistibility 
and  its  continualness.  It  always  was;  it  moved 
always;  it  threatened  always.  It  was  a  thing 
alive,  a  crawling,  roaring  monster  with  a  ravening 


'My  eyes  went  hopelessly  towards  the  cliff  top1 


THE  PRIVATEERS  319 

maw.  Seen  from  the  cliff  above,  as  I  had  seen  it 
lately,  and  seen  from  a  ship,  as  I  had  seen  it  in  all 
my  life,  there  was  something  majestical  in  the 
march  and  mien  of  the  ocean.  To  me,  there,  like 
a  fettered  slave  awaiting  the  approach  of  the  de- 
vouring monster,  there  was  nothing  high  or 
dignified  about  it;  it  was  merely  sordidly  tragic. 

I  clung  to  a  point  of  rock  and  gazed  out  upon  the 
charging  field,  with  its  irregular  surface  of  falling 
water ;  and  from  that  my  eyes  went  hopelessly  to- 
wards the  cliff  top.  Was  it  a  figure  that  moved 
there,  or  was  it  merely  the  hallucination  of  a  tired 
mind,  beaten  into  disorder  by  a  struggle  with  the 
sea?  I  stared  clinging,  and,  when  the  spray  of  a 
ferocious  billow  had  dispersed  from  about  my 
head,  I  saw  the  shape  move.  My  voice  poured  its 
full  volume  to  the  sky,  but  was  drowned  in  the 
clamour  of  the  water.  Here  was  the  means  of 
rescue  at  hand,  and  yet  I  should  die  without 
being  heard,  suffering  the  pangs  of  Tantalus.  Was 
it  Alston  returned  and  repentant,  I  vaguely 
wondered  in  the  tumult?  Was.it  perchance  a 
coast-guard  on  his  early  round  ?  Yet  whosoever  it 
might  be,  it  mattered  not  to  me,  an  atom,  clinging 
to  a  diminutive  rock  at  the  unseen  base  of  wild 
cliffs  buried  under  the  tramplings  of  a  wild  sea. 

The  water  beat  about  me,  and  strangely  enough 
now  I  was  not  even  cold,  but  rather  of  a  pleasant 
warmth.  Yet  I  knew  my  hands  would  presently 


320  THE  PRIVATEERS 

relax,  and  that  I  should  slip  off,  and  be  at  one  with 
the  sea,  moving  whither  it  went,  without  will  or 
resistance.  And  in  the  thought  I  did  not  feel  un- 
happy. I  had  reconciled  myself  to  fate,  and  I  had 
no  room  in  my  mind  for  other  considerations  save 
of  the  practicability  of  keeping  my  hold,  and  of  the 
effort  to  do  so.  That  alone  seemed  of  importance ; 
it  occupied  my  mind  to  the  exclusion  of  all  else.  I 
did  not  think  of  Alston  or  of  Rudgwick,  nor  of  my 
past  life ;  and  though,  God  knows,  it  was  the  only 
time  in  my  waking  life  since  I  had  known  her 
that  I  did  not  do  so,  I  did  not  then  think  of  Sylvia 
Lovell. 

In  the  midst  of  this  I  was  aware  somehow — I 
could  not  say  why —  that  something  was  dangling 
near  me,  and  I  was  aware  too  that  I  had  put  out 
one  hand  to  take  it.  This  must  have  been  mere 
instinct,  for  I  had  no  reasoning  mind  by  that  time ; 
it  had  been  dinned  out  of  being  by  the  deafening 
clamour  and  confusion.  Yet  I  know  that  I  had 
fingers  on  the  rope,  and  then  I  know  that  I  grasped 
it  in  two  hands.  There  was  a  noose  into  which 
somehow,  and  for  some  reason  which  I  could  not 
have  determined,  I  put  my  foot ;  and  I  remember 
vaguely  clinging  to  the  rope,  and  abandoning  my 
rock. 

I  drifted  away — away  from  the  rock,  away  from 
the  water,  which  leaped  after  me  as  if  to  tear  me 
down  and  reclaim  me.  I  noted  the  grey  sands  of 


THE  PRIVATEERS  321 

the  cliff -face  pass  me  very  slowly,  sands  in  which  the 
grass  grew,  and  in  which  large  masses  of  rock  were 
intercalated.  It  seemed  a  long  time,  but  I  did 
not  mind ;  for  the  sensation  of  rising  was  pleasant, 
and  away  below  me  growled  the  immeasurable  and 
moving  sea. 

At  last  I  got  to  the  top,  and  I  heard  a  voice  say 
in  unmistakable  accents : 

"  Guess,  I  was  just  in  time." 

"  Butterfield!"  I  said,  and  got  to  my  feet,  and 
dizzily  stumbled. 

He  caught  my  arm.  "Steady,  boss,"  he  said. 
"  You're  qualifying  now  for  an  infant  in  a  go-cart. 
We'll  be  safe,  I  reckon,  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
edge.  I  don't  like  it  much  myself." 

We  moved  away,  I  leaning  on  his  arm,  for  the 
violence  of  the  sea  had  rendered  me  quite  in- 
capable of  conducting  myself  like  a  reasonable 
being  for  the  time.  I  was  more  or  less  stunned, 
I  suppose,  mentally  and  physically.  But  I  soon 
came  to,  and  over  the  inland  hills  my  eyes  saluted 
the  rising  sun.  The  dunes  were  in  fresh  light,  and 
the  glory  of  the  morning  was  about  me. 

"How'd  you  get  down  there?"  asked  Butter- 
field  presently. 

"It's  more  interesting  to  me,"  I  said  freely,  as  I 
smiled,  "to  know  how  you  got  up  here." 

"That's  easy  enough,"  he  explained.  "I  had 
an  inspiration.  Seemed  to  me  those  runaways 


322  THE  PRIVATEERS 

ran  away  too  fast,  and  I  took  a  suspicion  that  they 
didn't  run  away.  So  I  came  back.  And  I  was 
wandering  about,  getting  my  head  clear,  and  learn- 
ing the  bearings,  when  I  hit  upon  a  rope  hitched 
on  a  rock.  Well,  that  looked  funny,  didn't  it? 
And  I  said  to  myself,  '  Where  there's  a  rope  there's 
a  man ' ;  and  so  I  just  looked  over,  and  sure  enough 
there  was  a  man."  He  grinned.  "Though  I'm 
blamed  if  I  know  what  you  were  doing  fooling 
round  there  with  the  rope  on  the  wrong  side  of  the 
cliff." 

"  It  wasn't  my  rope,"  I  said. 

"  Not?"  he  asked  in  surprise. 

"  No,"  I  said ;  and  then  I  told  him  all. 

Butterfield  pursed  his  ugly  face  into  a  whistling 
condition,  and  emitted  a  long  "Phew!" 

"Say,  this  is  getting  pretty  hot,  ain't  it?"  he 
remarked.  "This  is  getting  down  to  bed  rock 
right  away.  I  thought  we  shouldn't  find  it  all  as 
easy  as  smiling  when  we  brushed  up  against 
Alston  for  good  and  all."  He  leaned  over  the 
cliff,  contemplating  the  welter  below.  "  Can't  say 
I  like  the  look  of  it.  Land's  good  enough  for  me. 
Anyway,  you're  square  now.  The  boss'll  take  it 
pretty  badly,  Alston  getting  away  with  the  last 
trick.  Say,  how  long  ago?" 

I  had  no  very  definite  opinion  on  this  point,  but 
made  a  guess  at  the  time  for  twenty  minutes. 

He  puckered  his  brow,  and  stared  disconsolately 


THE  PRIVATEERS  323 

over  the  dunes.  "  Might  as  well  look  for  a  needle 
in  a  stack,"  he  observed. 

With  each  minute  I  was  becoming  myself,  and 
increasingly  able  to  take  stock  of  the  situation. 

"It's  clear,"  I  said,  "that  Alston  was  bluffing, 
when  he  talked  of  going  to  London.  He  was 
waiting  his  chance  to  get  back  to  the  cave,  and  he 
almost  arrived  too  late  He  knew  he  was  running 
it  close;  hence  the  rope.  And  you  may  depend 
upon  it  in  the  meantime  he  had  made  his  plans. 
His  object  is  to  get  married,  after  which  he  can 
defy  us  all." 

"The  boss'll  be  mad,"  repeated  poor  Butter- 
field. 

"  You  must  remember  he  is  encumbered  with  a 
fainting  girl,"  I  said.  "Also,"  I  added  grimly; 
"  he's  not  aware  that  we  two  are  discussing  him 
here.  I'm  dead  to  him." 

"  Blame  me  if  it  isn't  getting  mighty  hot,"  said 
the  factotum  again.  "  Rare  hot,  and  it'll  be  hotter 
before  we've  finished,  if  the  boss  knows  how." 

"We've  got  to  follow  the  trail,"  I  said,  moving 
away,  and  then,  on  a  sudden  thought,  paused. 
"  Butterfield,  you're  a  man  of  your  wits  and  hands, 
and  by  this  you've  wiped  out  a  precious  lot.  I 
thank  you." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  he.  "  We're  work- 
ing in  together.  Besides,"  he  added.  "  You're  a 
white  man." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

IN  THE  PINE-WOOD 

"WHERE'S  Rudgwick?"    I  asked  presently. 

Butterfield  looked  up  from  the  ground  he  had 
been  examining  for  tracks  of  feet,  and  his  nose 
crinkled  up  in  a  way  he  had. 

"The  boss's  at  Padstow  by  this,  I  reckon.  He 
made  tracks  there  soon  as  ever  he  saw  how." 

"What!  Given  it  up?"  I  ejaculated  in  as- 
tonishment. 

"Not  much,"  said  the  faithful  jackal.  "He's 
laying  low  for  a  purpose,  I  shouldn't  be  surprised. 
So  soon  as  he  saw  you  on  the  bender  he  hailed  me. 
"  'That  you,  Nathaniel?'  says  he.  'Well,  I 
reckon  I'm  going  home  to  a  comfortable  bed.  See 
here,  Butterfield!'  he  says.  'That  lieutenant's 
smart  enough.  I  guess  he's  a  better  hound  than 
I  am.  I'm  going  to  leave  him  on  the  scent.' ' 

"I  am  complimented,"  said  I,  "but  he  is  too 
sanguine.  You  see  what  a  mess  I  made  of  it." 

Butterfield  considered  it  critically.  "No;  not 
much  of  a  mess  anyway,"  he  pronounced.  "You 
ran  the  fox  to  the  earth,  and  that's  business." 

324 


THE  PRIVATEERS  325 

"  It  was,  I  suspect,  as  much  the  fox's  doing  as 
mine." 

"  Well,  you  found  the  girl,  and  that  counts,"  he 
declared. 

"  And  you  saved  me,  and  that  counts,"  I  added. 
"And  now  we've  got  to  pick  up  the  scent  again. 
See;  rain  fell  yesterday  and  laid  the  sand;  we 
ought  to  find  footmarks." 

We  reached  the  margin  where  the  sandy  tract 
began  and  cast  about  us  in  all  directions.  An  ex- 
clamation from  Butterfield  brought  me  to  him 
and  his  discovery.  There  were  the  unmistakable 
marks  of  a  man's  boots,  large,  clean  and  deep- 
sunk,  as  if  he  carried  a  burden.  They  pointed 
away  from  the  cliff. 

"Here  we  are  then,"  I  said  briskly.  "Let  us 
follow.  If  I've  not  a  nose  I've  eyes ;  and  yours  are 
worth  a  fortune." 

Butterfield  who  paid  no  attention  to  this,  was 
scrutinising  me.  "  Say,  you  feeling  all  right?"  he 
asked  kindly. 

"As  fit  as  a  fiddle,"  I  replied  promptly.  " I'm 
going  into  action." 

" That's  all  right,"  he  nodded,  "  Thought  that 
drenching — " 

"Sea  water  will  never  harm  a  sea-dog,"  I  said. 

"Well,  I've  no  fancy  for  it  myself,"  said  he. 
"Personally  I  don't  hanker  after  a  wetting.  It 
would  get  on  my  chest,  and  I  couldn't  stand  it. 


326  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I'd  run  a  fair  chance  of  pegging  out,"  and  he 
buttoned  his  coat  in  the  cool  air  closer  about  his 
meagre  person. 

"Come  on,"  said  I  impatiently. 

We  trailed  Alston  across  the  dunes  for  half  a 
mile,  and  then  we  lost  the  scent,  owing  to  the  con- 
vergence of  other  footmarks.  It  was  only  after 
traversing  the  ground  covered  by  one  of  these 
that  we  disentangled  the  right  from  the  wrong. 
Here,  we  conjectured,  from  the  prints,  Miss 
Lovell  had  begun  to  walk  independently. 

Hitherto  her  foot-marks  had  been  irregular  and 
in  proximity  to  Alston's  indicating  that  she  had 
not  fully  recovered  and  probably  had  leaned  on 
him.  But  henceforth  they  moved  in  detachment, 
as  if  with  a  will  of  their  own. 

We  followed  hotly  now,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  dunes  ceased,  and  we  emerged  on  a 
level  road,  bordered  on  the  farther  side  by  a  stone 
fence  and  fields. 

"  I  guess  we  lose  it  here,"  said  Butterfield. 

I  pointed  to  a  building  some  distance  away,  and 
we  advanced  towards  it.  When  we  got  nearer  I 
perceived  that  it  was  a  wayside  inn,  with  white- 
washed walls,  and  there  was  a  little  stir  about  it 
for  all  that  the  hour  was  so  early.  This  was  ac- 
counted for  by  the  presence  of  a  motor-car  in  the 
road  without,  the  beat  of  whose  engine  we  could 
hear  as  we  came  up. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  327 

I  entered  the  small  bar-room,  and  ordered  a 
glass  of  ale,  of  which  indeed  I  was  glad.  Then  I 
put  my  queries.  Had  a  tall  man  with  a  big 
moustache  been  seen  there  in  company  with  a 
young  lady  wet  from  the  sea? 

The  woman  looked  at  me  with  evident  interest. 
Yes;  an  hour  ago  or  less.  The  lady  had  had  an 
accident,  had  been  caught  by  the  tide;  and  the 
gentleman  had  rescued  her. 

"Exactly  what  did  happen,"  I  said  gravely. 
"  We  were  very  anxious,  and  now  we  are  relieved. 
Which  way  did  they  go?  Was  it  to  Padstow?" 

Unfortunately  the  landlady  did  not  know. 
They  had  driven  southwards.  That  was  the 
limit  of  her  knowledge. 

' '  Driven ! "     I  echoed . 

Yes;  the  gentleman  had  arrived  with  a  car- 
riage, and  had  gone  down  to  the  bay.  Then  he  had 
rescued  the  lady  from  her  plight,  and  then  they 
had  driven  away. 

It  was  very  simple,  particularly  to  this  good 
soul  who  never  asked  questions  of  Fate.     I  looked 
at  Butterfield,  who   made   a  grimace  that   was 
designed  for  a  communication.     We  hastily 
treated. 

"Alston  to  a  %'"said  Mr.  Butterfield.  "I 
guess  he's  gone  to  Padstow." 

"Padstow!"  I  said.  "  Why  on  earth  should  he 
go  to  Padstow?" 


328  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Well,"  said  the  factotum  deliberately.  "It 
would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  Alston  to  crowd 
out  the  boss  in  his  own  theatre.  You  see,  he 
reckon's  the  boss's  beat,  and  it  looks  very  like  it. 
It  would  be  a  blamed  good  notion  to  marry  under 
the  boss's  nose." 

"  But  that  would  be  taking  too  great  a  risk,"  I 
said  incredulously. 

"If  I  were  playing  up  against  the  boss,"  said 
Butterfield  obstinately,  "  I  would  ask  myself, 
what'd  make  him  smart  most  in  defeat,  and  I 
reckon  I'd  fix  it  up  to  do  it  under  his  nose.  I  bet 
Alston's  gone  Padstow  way." 

"I  don't  agree  with  you,"  I  said.  "The  man 
would  be  a  fool  to  take  the  risk.  I  don't  interpret 
Alston  that  way." 

"Well,  that's  m  notion,"  said  the  little  man 
mulishly. 

I  began  to  see  his  limitations,  and  I  ~ost 
patience. 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  try  the  railway,"  I  said. 
"  He  can  get  a  train  from  Wadebridge  without 
danger,  and  marry  in  leisured  haste.  Besides,  at 
the  stations  he  would  leave  his  mark." 

Butterfield  was  quite  agreeable  to  parting  with 
me,  having  this  fixed  idea  regarding  Padstow.  I 
believe  he  thought  that  the  devil,  having  defeated 
his  master,  would  exult  in  impish  tricks.  Anyway 
he  left  me,  hurrying  for  Padstow,  and  with  the  in- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  329 

tention  of  getting  a  trap  of  some  kind  at  the 
neighbouring  farm. 

But  a  trap  was  of  no  use  to  me,  who  was  nearly 
an  hour  behind  my  enemy,  if  I  was  to  forestall 
him  at  the  railway  station.  Alston  did  nothing 
for  show ;  he  took  the  lines  of  least  resistance ;  of 
that  I  was  sure.  He  would  then  go  to  the  nearest 
railway  station  which  was  Wadebridge,  and  take 
train  to  the  nearest  safe  town.  My  travelled  eye 
fell  on  the  lounging  figure  of  the  chauffeur  in  his 
leather  suit.  The  beat  of  the  engine  was  in  my 
head.  The  man  was  looking  at  us  with  uninter- 
ested curiosity,  thin  of  face,  ratlike,  with  keen  and 
tricky  eyes.  He  lolled  luxuriously  glass  in  hand. 

"  Roads  good?"     I  ejaculated. 

"Pretty  fair,  Sir.  I  had  a  puncture  a  dozen 
miles  back." 

"What  is  she?" 

"Mercedes — she's  getting  old  now,  but  she's 
had  a  splendid  life." 

"A  little  complicated  in  machinery?"  I 
suggested. 

He  admitted  it,  adding  that  one  cylinder  had 
broken  down  last  evening,  and  he  had  had  to  put 
up  on  the  road. 

"My  gentleman  went  on  by  train;  and  I'm  on 
the  way  to  join  him,"  he  added. 

Here  was  some  news.  "Early  starting,"  I 
remarked. 


330  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  I'm  in  no  hurry,"  he  replied  with  a  smile  at  his 
glass. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  I.  "  Have  another,  and 
then  come  out  and  have  a  chat." 

He  acceded  willingly  enough.  I  thought  I 
knew  greedy  eyes  when  I  saw  them,  and  here  they 
were  coupled  with  good  nature. 

"  It's  a  matter  of  vital  importance  for  me  to  get 
to  Wadebridge  at  once,"  I  explained  outside  in  the 
road.  "I'm  already  late.  Three  guineas  if  I 
have  a  lift  on  your  car." 

He  hardly  hesitated.  "Right,  Sir,"  he  said, 
and  jumped  into  the  car.  His  every  action  was 
businesslike;  he  was  chauffeur  now,  not  a  way- 
side conversationalist,  and  I  was  his  master.  The 
engine  had  been  running  free ;  now  he  put  on  the 
clutches  and  the  car  moved  out.  In  ten  minutes 
she  was  making  at  a  rate  between  twenty  and 
thirty  miles  an  hour. 

I  sat  in  the  tonneau  enjoying  the  stream  of 
good  morning  air  as  we  flew  down  the  miles,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  had  much  to  pre-occupy  me. 
If  I  were  wrong  in  my  guess  about  Alston  I  had 
lost  him  for  good  and  all.  Everything  hung  on 
this  chance,  and  I  admitted  to  myself  that  it  was 
but  a  chance.  Still,  in  the  conduct  of  life  it  is  only 
possible  for  us  to  make  the  best  theory  and  act 
upon  it.  I  had  plumbed  Alston's  mind,  and  I 
thought  he  would  take  the  shortest  course  out  of 


THE  PRIVATEERS  331 

his  difficulties.  If  he  did  that  he  would  go  to 
Wadebridge.  But  if  he  did  not  he  had  won  and  I 
had  lost.  That  was  the  issue. 

We  left  the  seaboard  and  turned  inland  at  the 
same  pace,  and  we  were  not  five  minutes  in  our 
new  course  when  my  hopes  flowered  triumphantly ; 
for  the  Mercedes  swept  up  towards  a  farmer's  cart, 
which  was  jogging  comfortably  along  the  road, 
as  if  it  had  been  to  market'  and  the  occupants 
were  a  man — and  a  girl. 

I  recognized  Alston  even  before  I  knew  it  was 
Sylvia  Lovell,  and  I  lay  back  in  the  tonneau 
humped  against  the  side  of  the  car,  until  my  head 
was  below  the  level.  There  flashed  past  an  auto- 
mobile with  a  reckless  chauffeur  and  emptiness 
behind  him;  such  was  the  impression  that  must 
have  been  made  upon  Alston  in  the  second  or  two 
of  time  in  which  we  hung  in  the  way.  I  did  not 
rise  until  we  were  well  in  the  distance,  and  when  I 
did  so  I  allowed  the  car  to  run  a  mile  farther. 
Then  I  stopped  the  man. 

"I  won't  go  any  farther,"  I  said.  "You've 
earned  your  money."  I  paid  him.  "Goodbye." 

He  must  have  considered  me  insane,  as  I  leapt 
swiftly  out  of  the  car  and  ran  along  the  road. 
Farm  gates  opened  nearby,  but  I  did  not  enter 
these.  I  kept  on  my  course,  and  looking  back 
saw  the  car  wheeling  about,  and  then  saw  it  start- 
ing, and  then  again  it  was  a  vanishing  flash  in  the 


332  THE  PRIVATEERS 

prospect.  I  came  to  a  pause  at  that,  and  went 
back.  Alston  would  be  there  within  ten  minutes, 
and  I  had  time  to  prepare.  What  would  he  do? 
Would  he  hesitate  to  doom  to  death  this  ap- 
parition from  the  dead  whom  he  had  already 
doomed?  I  opened  the  revolver  with  which  I  had 
supplied  myself  in  London,  and  loaded  it  care- 
f  ully.  The  sea-water  had  not  penetrated  into  my 
little  tin  boxes.  I  replaced  the  weapon  in  my 
coat,  and  waited.  I  had  been  drenched  an  hour 
back;  I  was  now  dry;  nay  more,  I  was  hot  and 
burning. 

I  passed  the  farm  gates  and  walked  into  the 
solitude  of  the  winding  road.  On  one  side 
stretched  a  stone  fence,  and  beyond  it  the  fields, 
bare  of  trees  but  summer-ripe  with  green,  an 
undulating  country  somewhat  monotonous  to  the 
eye.  Seaward  the  land  was  more  broken,  and 
at  a  little  distance  was  an  open  pine-wood.  Be- 
tween the  barren  narrows  of  the  road  came 
Alston's  farmer's  cart  jogging  as  for  market. 

I  stopped  him  by  blocking  his  path,  and  he 
first  shouted  in  anger,  and  then  was  silent,  staring. 
If  I  could  credit  my  eyes,  there  was  a  little  pallor 
i  n  his  face  and  his  nostrils  worked. 

"  You're  right  down  smart,  Lieutenant,"  he  said 
at  last.  "  I  suppose  you  want  a  chat  with  me." 

"That's  exactly  it,"  I  said,  and  I  looked  at  his 
companion.  Her  gaze  was  upon  me,  eager,  fright- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  333 

ened,  and  bewildered  all  in  one.  She  was  as  pale 
as  a  lily,  and  her  hands  were  clutched  upon  the 
side  of  the  cart.  She  no  longer  wore  her  Breton 
dress,  as  I  had  noted  amid  the  alarms  of  that  ter- 
rible dawn,  but  I  did  not  learn  till  long  afterwards 
how  she  had  been  furnished  with  new  garments  of 
her  place  and  age.  Nor  did  I  think  of  so  trivial 
a  matter  at  that  moment.  She  only  created  upon 
me  an  impression  of  white  and  terrified  beauty 
against  the  green  setting  of  the  morning. 

Alston  put  the  reins  slowly  into  her  hands,  and 
began  to  descend.  Then  he  paused,  as  if  some- 
thing had  occurred  to  him.  He  was  taking  it  very 
wonderfully.  Here  was  the  man  he  had  believed 
dead  and  done  for  come,  so  to  speak,  as  an  ap- 
parition in  judgment  against  him.  He  must  have 
thought  he  had  lost  on  the  very  last  cast  of  the  die, 
and  as  he  made  that  motion  to  climb  down  I  doubt 
not  his  heart  was  bitter  indeed.  There  was  mur- 
der in  his  even  pale  face,  as  his  looks  met  mine,  or 
I  am  no  judge  of  man  and  manner.  But  that  was 
only  for  an  instant.  Violence  was  impracticable 
there.  He  knew  that,  and  I  think  he  framed  his 
plans  that  instant  as  he  paused.  How  much 
Sylvia  Lovell  knew  of  his  baseness  in  leaving  me 
to  die  I  could  not  say.  She  had  been  unconscious 
when  I  made  her  fast  to  the  rope,  and  she  had  ar- 
rived at  the  top  of  the  cliff  still  unconscious.  It 
wras  certain  that  she  had  not  been  aware  of  his 


334  THE  PRIVATEERS 

actual  desertion  of  me,  and  his  glib  tongue  might 
explain  away  much.  It  was  surprise  that  I  read 
in  her  expression ;  amazement  and  other  emotions 
which  I  did  not  analyse  then,  which  I  might  not 
have  dared  to  analyse.  Assuredly  there  was  no 
horror  in  it,  as  one  might  anticipate  for  a  resur- 
rection. 

Alston  descended  after  his  pause. 

"We'll  get  along  to  the  farm  yonder,"  he  said. 
"  Sylvia  girl,  take  a  hold  of  the  reins.  It's  a  prime 
day,  Kerslake." 

"An  excellent  morning  to  be  alive,"  I  said 
slowly. 

"  That's  so.  I'm  in  no  hurry  to  die,  and  I  guess 
you're  the  same,"  he  remarked,  as  we  proceeded 
slowly  along  the  road,  Alston  leading  the  horse. 

There  was  between  us  the  awkwardness  of  the 
girl's  presence.  She  was  white  and  silent,  wonder- 
ing, maybe  fearing;  for  she  could  not  understand. 
She  had  left  us  working  as  apparent  friends ;  she 
found  us  open  enemies.  In  all  that  had  puzzled 
and  harassed  her  throughout  that  period  of  per- 
secution, this  fact  must  have  been  the  supreme 
bewilderment.  She  glanced  pitifully  at  me,  and 
then  away;  she  spoke  no  word;  her  underlip, 
sucked  in,  quivered  in  an  unheard  sob.  My  heart 
bled  for  her,  and  I  could  have  taken  her  in  my  arms 
and  comforted  her.  I  had  held  her  to  my  breast 
in  the  dripping  sea ;  I  longed  to  repeat  that  tender 


THE  PRIVATEERS  335 

encouragement  on  land.  But  I  had  to  dispose  of 
Alston,  and  Alston,  I  knew  well  enough,  spelt 
black  danger.  All  my  nerves  and  wits  must  be  in 
train  for  that  coming  encounter. 

"We'll  ask  the  farm  people  to  put  you  up, 
Sylvia,"  he  said,  "while  Mr.  Kerslake  and  I  have 
our  business  talk,"  and  he  took  the  cart  through 
the  gates. 

A  man  lifted  a  head  inquiringly  over  the  byre 
walls  and  stared.  Alston  approached  him. 

"Can  we  leave  this  young  lady  here  for  ten 
minutes,  while  we  have  a  look  around?"  he  asked 
in  his  pleasant  way.  "She's  not  interested  any 
in  what  we're  after ;  so  if  you  don't  mind  the  cart 
putting  up  in  your  yard  for  a  little,  I  should  take 
it  as  a  favour." 

There  was  no  objection  offered  by  the  farmer 
who  civilly  informed  us  we  were  welcome,  and 
Alston  turned  after  a  nod  of  thanks. 

"Now  Sylvia,  just  you  amuse  yourself  a  while, 
and  I'll  be  back  presently.  Come  along,  Ker- 
slake." 

I  took  off  my  hat  in  formal  greeting  to  the  girl, 
and  walked  away  with  him.  In  the  circumstances 
it  was  an  odd  parting,  as  odd  as  the  friendly  way 
in  which  he  and  I  went  out  of  the  gates  together. 
There  was  nothing  dramatic  in  our  exit;  it  was 
just  commonplace  and  even  rather  awkward. 

Once  on  the  road  I  spoke,  sharply  enough. 


336  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  You  know  what's  got  to  come.  We've  got  to 
settle." 

"Yes,"  he  drawled.  "I  guess  we've  got  to 
settle,  Lieutenant.  We'll  fix  that  up  so  soon  as 
we  get  some  privacy  of  our  own." 

The  solitude  was  privacy  enough  for  me,  but  not 
for  Alston,  the  hard  glitter  of  whose  eyes  was 
frosty  on  me.  But  he  was  suave  as  ever,  as  we 
walked  we  might  have  been  two  friends  on  a 
morning  walk  admiring  the  country.  He  wheeled 
off  the  road  upon  a  piece  of  common  which  har- 
boured the  dark  pine-wood,  penetrated  this  some 
distance  and  presently  came  to  a  pause,  and  faced 
me. 

"You've  got  some  remarks  to  make  I  take  it," 
he  began.  "I'd  like  to  begin  with  a  question,  if 
I've  got  priority;  and  that's  how  you  got  out  of 
that  fix  down  there  by  the  cliffs?" 

"An  old  acquaintance  of  yours,"  I  replied 
quickly.  "  Butterfield." 

"  Say!"  he  commented.  "  Well,  that  was  prov- 
idential. I'd  like  to  know  a  thing  or  two  more  for 
my  private  edification,  but  I  guess  there  isn't  time, 
so  we'll  let  it  slide." 

"I  too,"  I  said,  "should  like  to  express  my 
opinion  pretty  strongly  about  you  and  your  ways, 
but  as  you  say  there  isn't  time,  and  so — " 

"Oh,  quit,  quit,"  he  interrupted  impatiently. 

"Very   well,"    I    said.     "The    explanation   is 


THE  PRIVATEERS  337 

merely  this.  I  know  your  story,  and  I'm  going  to 
communicate  it  to  Miss  Lovell."  He  mused, 
considering  me. 

"Do  you  think  she'll  credit  it  or  you?"  he 
asked. 

"There's  plenty  of  documentary  evidence,"  I 
put  in. 

"  Wilson's  seen  to  that,  eh?  Well,  you  got  it?" 
he  asked. 

"  No ;  but  my  word's  sufficient.     I  have  seen  it." 

"You're  almighty  sure  of  your  powers  of  per- 
suasion and  attraction.  You  fancy  yourself, 
Lieutenant." 

"  A  man,"  said  I,  "  expects  to  be  believed  in  this 
country  when  he  pledges  his  word." 

"This  is  an  almighty  number  one  country," 
said  Alston  with  sarcasm.  "  It  contains  a  heap  of 
smart  men,  some  of  whom  are  in  His  Majesty's 
Navy,  I  shouldn't  wonder.  So  you're  going  to 
Miss  Lovell  with  a  cock-and-bull  tale  about  me 
and  some  millions." 

"  It's  my  intention  to  do  so  at  once,"  I  answered. 

"  And  you  look  to  receive  the  reward  of  virtue," 
he  said  smiling,  but  I  did  not  like  the  smile. 

"  You  are  aware  that  virtue  is  the  only  reward," 
I  retorted  in  his  own  voice. 

"You'll  come  along  with  repartee  presently," 
he  said.  "  But  I  guess  we  don't  want  to  spend  the 
day  in  these  sallies.  We've  got  to  settle,  and 


338  THE  PRIVATEERS 

there's  only  one  way  to  settle.  If  you  were  to  go 
to  Miss  Lovell  with  your  information  it  wouldn't 
serve  you  much.  Suppose  you  try." 

He  nodded  as  if  dismissing  me,  and  walked  a 
yard  or  two  away  through  the  pines.  I  too 
moved,  but  in  another  direction  to  regain  the 
open  ground,  and  the  road.  A  report  caught  my 
ear,  and,  swiftly  turning,  I  saw  Alston  with  a  re- 
volver in  his  hand.  He  was  as  cool  and  un- 
disturbed as  if  he  were  playing  billiards.  A  bullet 
had  broken  a  twig  in  the  fir  between  us.  I  slid 
behind  the  red  bole  of  the  tree,  and  put  my  hand 
in  my  breast  pocket  to  secure  my  own  weapon. 
He  had  determined  to  silence  me.  It  was  a  de- 
cision worthy  of  him,  and  I  might  have  expected 
something  remarkable,  but  I  had  not  anticipated 
exactly  that.  It  was  a  duel  between  us ;  for  I  knew 
he  would  have  no  mercy.  He  had  taken  me  there, 
had  compassed  that  "privacy"  for  that  very 
purpose.  We  were  out  of  earshot  of  the  farm,  and 
the  road  was  empty.  Whatever  might  befall 
within  the  forest  of  firs  would  not  be  known — at 
least  not  then,  nor  for  some  time  afterwards. 

Alston's  second  shot  singed  the  bark  on  the  tree 
behind  which  I  had  taken  refuge.  He  himself  had 
got  behind  a  fir  and  it  was  merely  the  glint  of  his 
barrel  I  caught.  I  respected  his  marksmanship 
to  such  a  degree  that  I  would  not  risk  breaking 
cover;  and  yet  I  could  not  remain  there  forever. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  339 

I  must  take  the  hazard,  and  get  out  of  range.  I 
dashed  from  my  shelter  for  another  fir,  and  in- 
stantly I  heard  the  crack  of  his  revolver.  The 
whizz  and  whirr  of  the  bullet  was  in  my  ears  as  it 
went  past.  It  had  been  a  very  "  close  shave,"  and  I 
did  not  like  the  idea  of  repeating  it.  His  hand 
was  just  visible  twenty  yards  away,  and  I  thrust 
my  own  weapon  round  the  bole  and  fired,  hoping 
to  disable  his  fingers.  But  I  saw  the  bullet  knock 
a  splinter  from  the  tree.  I  was  hampered,  as  was 
he,  by  inability  to  get  the  eye  on  its  proper  plane. 
To  do  that  would  have  been  too  desperate  a 
venture.  We  must  aim  more  or  less  by  guess- 
work. That,  I  suppose,  accounted  for  his  failure 
for  so  long.  As  I  found  that  he  was  thus  em- 
barrassed by  his  posture  I  took  more  liberties,  and 
I  moved  from  tree  to  tree  without  mishap.  Once 
or  twice  his  shot  came  uncomfortably  near  me,  but 
I  escaped  without  a  hit.  Seeing  the  success  of  my 
manoeuvres,  and  fearing  lest  he  should  lose  me, 
Alston  now  adopted  my  tactics.  He  advanced  as 
I  retreated  by  the  same  methods,  and  it  was  thus 
that,  in  growing  anger  and  recklessness,  I  had  my 
better  chance  at  hint. 

The  scene  was  more  suitable  for  a  Western 
state  than  for  civilized  and  humane  England. 
The  morning  was  still  young,  and  the  sun  shone 
bright  and  high,  throwing  a  chequer  of  shade 
and  light  on  the  ground  where  it  penetrated.  The 


340  THE  PRIVATEERS 

firs  grew  thickly  but  with  absolutely  no  under- 
growth between  the  stems,  nor  did  any  grass 
clothe  the  earth,  which  was  invested  with  a  thick 
mantle  of  withered  pine-needles  that  were  as 
silent  to  the  tread  as  the  pile  of  a  rich  carpet.  Un- 
der the  spreading  canopy  of  the  pines  was  a  long, 
broad,  shadowed  stillness,  stem  rising  after  stem, 
in  picturesque  redness,  until  they  vanished  over 
a  rise  at  the  back. 

It  was  this  stillness  that  our  pistols  broke,  as  in 
this  strange  duel  that  had  been  forced  upon  me 
we  moved  and  counter-moved  and  fired  and  re- 
loaded and  fired  again. 

It  was  my  aim  all  along  to  disable  his  shooting 
arm,  but  I  will  confess  that  after  some  time  I  was 
not  particular  as  to  where  I  should  hit  the  ruffian. 
He  had  shown  himself  as  callous  as  I  could  have 
deemed  any  human  being  to  be.  He  had  left  me 
to  an  ugly  death,  had  welcomed  me  on  my  escape 
with  a  cool  jest,  and  was  now  bent  on  my  ex- 
tinction in  another  way.  I  was  a  menace  to  him, 
and  he  would  be  rid  of  me  by  any  means.  That 
was  how  things  stood  between  us. 

It  struck  me  suddenly  in  the  course  of  this  re- 
markable exhibition  that  there  was  no  practical 
term  to  it  except  in  the  exhaustion  of  our  car- 
tridges. To  seek  the  open  was  to  court  disaster, 
and  if  I  were  to  escape  the  assassin,  I  was  con- 
demned to  move  around  the  mazes  of  the  pine- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  341 

wood  until  Alston  was  pleased  or  forced  to  abandon 
his  attempt.  The  thought  was  not  cheering,  but 
the  instant  business  of  life  was  to  avoid  his  shots 
and  wing  him  if  I  could.  We  were  rarely  more 
than  twenty  paces  apart,  but  very  often  the  boles 
of  intervening  firs  rendered  the  aim  difficult.  It 
was  a  ricochet  that  at  last  got  him,  the  bullet  turn- 
ing off  a  tree  nearby,  and  lodging  as  I  conjectured 
in  his  shoulder.  He  uttered  a  curse,  stepped  out 
deliberately  from  cover  and  gave  his  answer. 

That  reckless  act,  carefully  calculated,  I  made 
no  doubt,  as  was  his  recklessness  ever,  brought 
me  into  the  line  of  his  fire.  My  revolver  spoke 
too  late;  I  felt  a  thud  and  a  prodding  pain  in 
my  leg,  and  went  down  unsteadily  on  my  knees. 

Alston  stood  a  moment  gazing  at  me,  and  then 
raised  his  weapon  again  as  if  he  would  make  sure, 
hesitated,  and  put  it  back,  seeing  me  weakly  throw 
my  arm  forward  in  a  wild  aim.  He  turned  and 
without  a  word  glided  swiftly  through  the  trees. 
As  I  have  said,  he  was  not  the  man  to  take  un- 
necessary risks.  He  was  not  thirsty  of  blood.  If 
I  had  perished  off  the  coast  he  would  have  been 
easily  rid  of  me,  and  would  not  have  given  me  a 
second  thought.  Here,  it  was  enough  for  his  pur- 
pose that  he  should  disable  me.  Dead  men  tel1 
tales,  but  a  limping  cripple  in  a  silent  wood  would 
tell  none.  I  limped,  tried  to  get  on  my  feet,  and 
rolled  over  with  the  pain. 


CHAPTER  XX  ' 
THE  QUARRY  DOUBLES 

THE  bullet  had  struck  the  ankle,  and  bruised 
it,  which  was  why  I  suffered  so  acutely  at  the 
time.  That  it  had  been  devilishly  designed  for 
me  in  that  precise  place  I  could  not  doubt,  knowing 
Alston's  powers,  and  he  had  calculated  to  a  nicety ; 
it  was  five  minutes  before  I  recovered  sufficiently 
to  make  another  attempt  to  walk,  and  then  at  the 
cost  of  much  pain.  I  only  succeeded  in  "  hirpling' ' 
along  a  few  yards  at  a  time.  It  was  ten  minutes 
before  I  reached  the  border  of  the  wood,  and  that 
was  some  distance  from  the  farm.  By  the  time 
I  got  so  far  Alston  would  have  vanished,  and  I 
should  have  been  checkmated  once  and  for  all. 

I  managed  at  last  to  hobble  to  the  farm,  hitting 
upon  a  gait  which  reduced  the  discomfort  to 
a  minimum;  and  of  course  found  the  cart  gone. 
The  civil  farmer  was  not  visible,  but  a  knock  on 
the  door  brought  out  his  wife,  who  gave  me  the 
information  I  wanted.  Alston  had  been  gone 
fifteen  minutes  or  more.  That  was  what  I  had 
anticipated ;  but  what  she  added  I  had  not  looked 

342 


THE  PRIVATEERS  343 

for  and  it  at  once  amazed  me  and  filled  me  with 
new  hope.  The  gentleman  had  had  a  horse 
harnessed  and  gone  after  the  lady! 

There  was  the  surprise,  and  I  digested  it  with 
exultation.  It  appeared  that  almost  directly 
our  backs  were  turned  Miss  Lovell  announced  her 
intention  of  going  on,  and,  none  being  of  an  author- 
ity to  stay  her,  she  had  driven  off,  "  looking  "  (said 
my  informant)  "as  if  she  was  afraid  she'd  lose  a 
train."  I  could  understand  it  now.  She  had 
been  tossed  about  from  battledore  to  battledore 
on  the  intrigues  of  these  men,  and,  seeing  her 
chance  for  escape,  had  taken  it  and  fled.  Whither 
could  she  flee?  Well,  she  knew  no  harm  of 
Alston  save  that  he  had  involuntarily  brought  her 
this  untoward  persecution,  but  she  was  weary 
and  heartsore  and  would  rest.  She  had  probably 
designed  to  go  home  to  her  mother.  In  that  case 
she  would  go  to  a  railway  station.  But  had  she 
the  means  to  get  back  to  the  Island?  If  not, 
would  she  go ? 

But  these  speculations,  which  buzzed  in  my 
head,  were  futile  then.  The  farmer's  wife  did 
not  know  her  destination,  but  of  Alstons',  angry 
and  masterful  as  he  had  displayed  himself  on 
learning  of  the  flight,  she  had  a  notion. 

"He  drove  off  fast  on  the  Wadebridge  road, 
fast  as  he  could  with  the  pony." 

Wadebridge,  of  course,  being  the  railway  ter- 


344  THE  PRIVATEERS 

minus,  would  probably  be  the  objective,  and 
Wadebridge,  then,  was  my  destination  also;  for 
so  long  as  I  had  one  of  them  under  my  eyes  so 
long  was  their  separation  practicable.  I  could 
not  hobble  into  Wadebridge,  but  if  there  was 
another  pony  I  might  follow  Alston's  example. 
I  explained  that  I  had  hurt  my  ankle,  and  was 
reassured  about  the  horse.  The  woman  must 
have  set  us  all  down  as  mad,  engaged  as  we  were 
suddenly  now  in  this  chase  "in  canon."  But  I 
was  thinking  nothing  of  appearances.  I  only 
wanted  a  vehicle,  and  at  last  I  got  it. 

A  farm-hand  drove  me  with  what  speed  we 
might  get  up  into  Wadebridge,  where  I  at  once 
made  researches  at  the  station.  And  there  I  got 
on  the  trail  of  one  of  the  fugitives,  for  a  man 
answering  to  Alston's  description  had  recently 
been  making  inquiries  like  myself,  and  had  gone 
off  in  extreme  haste.  Evidently  then  Miss  Lovell 
had  not  taken  the  train  at  Wadebridge,  and  I 
began  to  fear  she  was  not  equipped  for  the  journey. 
She  had  long  since  exhausted  what  little  money 
she  had  with  her,  as  I  knew ;  it  was  not  likely  that 
she  had  come  into  the  possession  of  more.  I 
hated  to  think  of  her  receiving  money  from  Alston, 
and  for  some  reason  in  my  mind  I  was  sure  she  had 
not.  Destitute  of  means  then  to  travel,  whither 
would  she  take  refuge?  I  learned  from  a  porter 
that  the  man  he  had  described  had  turned  his  trap 


THE  PRIVATEERS  345 

abruptly  and  driven  off,  through  the  town.  That 
could  only  mean  that  he  was  bound  for  Padstow. 
Well,  if  Padstow  suited  Alston  it  would  suit  me. 
So  long  as  he  was  not  with  Miss  Lovell  I  cared  not. 

We  scrambled  into  Padstow  with  our  rustic 
chaise,  and  almost  the  first  person  I  met  in  the 
little  town  was  Butterfield.  In  my  anxiety  to 
hear  what  his  news  was  I  got  out  of  the  cart  heed- 
lessly and,  my  wounded  leg  giving  away,  came 
down  in  a  heap. 

"What's  the  matter?"  he  inquired,  helping 
me  up. 

He  was  darkly  melancholy,  as  was  his  habit  in 
a  reverse.  I  told  him  I  had  a  bad  ankle,  for  I 
wanted  no  explanations  just  then,  and  I  was 
rushing  on  an  eager  question  when  he  said  gloomily : 

"  Well,  I  guess,  it  don't  matter  now,  not  a  corn 
cob.  I  guess  we're  left  " 

"Why?"  I  asked. 

"They're  married  and  fixed  up,"  he  said  in  his 
dejected  voice.  "They've  gone  off  hone-moon- 
ing on  the  yacht." 

' '  What? ' '  I  demanded  in  bewilderment,  think- 
ing he  had  taken  leave  of  his  senses. 

"Say,  I  was  smart  enough  to  guess  Alston' d 
come  to  Padstow.  So  he  did.  He  thought  he'd 
give  the  boss  a  treat,  and  he's  done  it.  Stole  the 
girl  from  under  our  noses.  I  guess  I  feel  pretty 
mean  about  it." 


346  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"You're  talking  abject  nonsense,  man,"  I  said 
angrily.  "They're  not  married.  On  the  con- 
trary, Miss  Lovell  has  run  away  from  Alston. 
I've  followed  them  all  over  the  country." 

He  stared  at  me.  "  One  of  us  is  a  blamed  liar 
or  a  fool,"  he  remarked.  "I  saw  Alston  and 
Miss  Lovell  standing  out  in  a  fishing  boat  in  the 
harbor  not  half  an  hour  ago,  and  I  guess  he  meant 
us  to  see  him,  too.  I  wonder  he  didn't  wave  a 
flag  or  a  handkerchief  at  us  by  way  of  playful 
greeting.  Oh,  he's  gone  off  with  her  safe  enough." 

I  slapped  his  shoulder.  "You're  right  there, 
but  you're  wrong  in  your  assumption,"  I  said. 
"I  see  it  now.  I've  been  mixed  up  in  it,  and 
there's  a  bullet  in  my  ankle  to  tell  the  tale.  Miss 
Lovell  bolted  from  Alston  while  we  were  having 
a  considerable  scrap.  And  he  went  after  her, 
missed  her  at  Wadebridge,  but  evidently  over- 
took her  here,  and  persuaded  her  to  join  him 
again.  The  man's  equal  to  anything,  by  the 
Lord,  he  is.  Damn  him  for  a  smooth-faced  rogue ! " 

"That  so?"  said  Butterfield  in  astonishment; 
and  his  face  lightened.  "Come  right  along  then, 
let's  tell  the  boss.  He's  been  right  down  sick 
about  it,  being  euchred  in  that  way.  This'll 
cheer  him  up  some." 

I  dismissed  my  trap,  and  we  found  Rudgwick 
in  his  inn  glowering  on  the  water. 

"Well,  Lieutenant,"  he  said  sarcastically  when 


THE  PRIVATEERS  347 

I  entered.  "  I  congratulate  you  on  your  entrance. 
You  came  on  the  boards  in  time  for  the  curtain — 
the  back  of  it." 

"Boss,  they're  not  hitched  up,"  burst  forth 
Butterfield. 

"That  so?"  said  Rudgwick,  looking  from  one 
to  the  other  of  us.  "Well,  if  you  say  it,  you've 
got  some  reason  for  saying  it,  I  suppose." 

I  told  him,  and  as  he  listened  his  face  relaxed 
in  a  grim  smile. 

"Sorry  for  your  foot,  Kerslake, "  he  said  at 
last.  "But  you've  done  good  service  this  trip. 
I  knew  I  was  right  in  leaving  you  plenty  of  rope. 
There's  the  value  of  coincidence.  There's  no 
such  thing  as  real  coincidence;  take  it  from  me. 
When  you're  dealing  in  human  factors  you  ar- 
range the  coincidences  yourself.  I  guess  you 
made  those  coincidences.  Anyway  we're  going 
to  fix  up  something  for  Fordyce  to  amuse  him, 
this  time.  Look  here;  there's  no  possibility  of 
any  marriage  having  come  off?" 

"Absolutely  impossible,"  I  said,  "and  if  you 
doubt  you  have  only  to  make  inquiry  at  the 
churches. " 

"Why,  I'd  just  forgotten  all  about  that,"  he 
said  cheerfully.  "I'd  got  a  notion  that  any  house 
would  do,  same  as  in  the  United  States,  where  we 
can  fix  these  things  up  without  any  trouble.  But 
I  remember  now.  Well,  that  fool  business  is 


348  THE  PRIVATEERS 

going  to  be  good  for  us.  Nathaniel,  take  a  look 
round  at  the  churches  with  a  roll  of  notes,  and 
come  back  in  half  an  hour.  I'll  wait  for  you. ' ' 
The  factotum  went  obediently.  "And  now  we're 
going  to  talk  business,  Kerslake, "  he  continued 
briskly.  "  Man,  I  was  mad  when  I  saw  that  boat 
slipping  out,  and  thought  all  was  up.  I  reckoned 
I  ought  to  make  Fordyce  a  present  of  the  schooner 
as  a  wedding  offering  and  go  back  to  America. 
I  was  mighty  sick,  and  I  wouldn't  have  shown 
up  for  a  million  dollars.  But  now  we'll  freeze 
him  out.  Pity  that  leg  of  yours  is  game.  Guess 
we'll  come  to  something  pretty  warm  this  time. 
Oh,  we're  not  done  yet.  This  is  the  last  act,  and  it 
ought  to  be  a  lively  one.  Say,  ring  that  bell, 
and  we'll  have  a  whiskey  and  soda  on  this.  We're 
going  to  start  right  away.  The  chase  will  be 
hotter  than  ever." 

He  drank  his  whiskey,  drew  his  face  into  a 
mask,  and  sat  silent.  Then  he  looked  up. 

" Can  you  get  a  boat  of  any  size  here?  One  of 
those  big  smacks  that  can  sail  anyway?" 

"Yes,  I  have  no  doubt  I  can  hire  a  lugger  or 
a  ketch  or  something  of  the  sort." 

"Well,  get  along  then,  Lieutenant,  and  have 
her  ready" — he  pulled  out  his  watch — "by  two 
o'clock.  Oh,  there's  your  leg." 

"That  can  go  hang,"  said  I,  limping  to  the 
door,  "if  we're  going  into  action." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  349 

"Take  it  from  me,  my  son,  we  are,"  he  said 
solemnly. 

I  was  able  to  secure  a  lugger  in  the  estuary 
which  I  hoped  would  serve  our  purpose,  though 
naturally  she  could  not  be  ready  as  early  as  Rudg- 
wick  wanted.  She  was  a  big  clumsy  thing,  but 
she  looked  as  if  she  would  have  pace  with  a  good 
wind  such  as  was  now  kindling  foamheads  over 
the  sea.  And  that  done  I  put  my  ankle  in  a  doc- 
tor's hands,  with  some  tale  of  an  accident  which 
he  never  questioned.  The  injury  was  immaterial 
and  he  promised  me  I  should  be  quite  recovered 
in  a  week ;  but  it  sufficed  still  to  keep  me  in  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  pain  and  to  impede  my  move- 
ments. However  I  hobbled  through  the  neces- 
sary work,  and  returned  to  Rudgwick,  who  had 
already  received  Butterfield's  report. 

"This  has  been  your  show  so  far,  Kerslake, " 
he  said  to  me,  "and  I'm  going  to  give  you  a  free 
hand.  I'll  back  you  for  all  I'm  worth,  and  that's 
not  nix.  You've  only  got  to  go  ahead." 

"Very  well,"  I  said.  "You  shall  have  a  run 
for  your  money,  and  we  start  at  three." 

We  started  to  the  minute,  running  out  with  a 
good  breeze  behind  us,  and  a  capable  crew  of 
several  hands.  The  probable  destination  of  Al- 
ston had  been  exercising  my  mind,  and  I  had 
formed  conclusions  of  my  own,  which  I  put  before 
Rudgwick. 


350  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"He  ran  the  blockade,  and  it  didn't  come  off, 
and  he's  put  out  again.  The  question  is,  where's 
he  for?  It  seems  to  me  that  there's  been  a  hitch 
with  Miss  Lovell."  Ah,  it  delighted  me  to  think 
that,  and  to  say  that,  but  surely  I  was  justified 
after  what  I  had  seen,  and  after  her  flight.  "  My 
theory  is  that  Alston  overtook  Miss  Lovell  in 
Padstow,  but  that  she  refused  to  marry  him. 
She  had  reason.  A  girl  might  very  justly  shrink 
from  so  grave  a  step  in  the  midst  of  these  unin- 
telligible events.  She  has  been  buffeted  about, 
and  knows  no  more  why  than  a  child  in  arms. 
It  has  been  a  gross  shame,  an  indelible  in- 
famy." 

I  spoke  hotly,  moved  by  my  indignation. 
Rudgwick  listened  equably. 

"Get  along,"  he  said. 

"She  would  decline  to  be  hurried  into  bonds, 
and  as  it  is  evident  he  could  not  constrain  her, 
he  has  done  the  next  best  thing  from  his  point 
of  view.  He  has  carried  her  off  to  renew  the 
attempt.  He  wants  to  give  her  breathing-time,  to 
let  her  recover,  and  then  he  will  repeat  his  feat." 

"Or  try  to,"  interjected  Rudgwick  dryly. 
"  You've  got  to  stop  him.  That's  your  business." 

He  spoke  as  if  I  were  a  clerk  or  agent  engaged 
by  him,  but  I  had  come  to  know  his  ways,  and 
I  did  not  mind.  He  knew  on  what  footing  we 


THE  PRIVATEERS  351 

were,  and  I  was  content  to  work  with  him  for 
the  time  being. 

"Alston,"  I  continued,  "may  even  have  per- 
suaded her  that  he  would  go  round  to  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  and  restore  her  to  her  mother.  I  think 
she's  wanted  that  badly.  Anyway  he's  got  hold 
of  her,  and  is  on  the  whole  in  no  worse  a  position 
than  he  was  before  his  attempt.  Indeed  he 
probably  thinks  he  is  in  a  better,  as  he  may  not 
have  known  of  your  presence  here;  and  me  he 
considers  hors  de  combat." 

"That's  good  logic,"  approved  Rudgwick. 
"  But  it  don't  get  us  to  where  he  is,  or  what  he's 
going  for." 

"The  ground's  cleared  a  bit  by  these  conclu- 
sions at  any  rate,"  I  said,  "and  I  think  we  can 
go  a  little  farther  with  safety.  The  schooner's 
somewhere  nearby  for  he's  off  to  it  in  a  small 
smack.  He  expects  to  strike  her  soon,  probably 
this  evening.  Alston  isn't  a  sailor,  and  he  doesn't 
like  the  water,  but  he's  got  to  get  to  the  Mer- 
maid. That  means  she  might  be  up  or  down 
the  coast  anywhere;  but  that  isn't  likely  in  the 
circumstances.  She  put  off,  and  is  waiting. 
That  looks  to  me  like  Lundy  Island." 

"You  think  she's  fixed  up  at  Lundy  Island?" 
he  inquired. 

"  Yes ;  that's  the  size  of  it.  Anyway  I'm  going 
to  make  the  island  for  a  try." 


352  THE  PRIVATEERS 

He  nodded,  and  said  nothing.  He  was  a  mere 
passenger  on  the  lugger  now,  and  sat  abaft  smok- 
ing his  cigars  and  eyeing  the  operations,  without 
comment,  his  yachting  cap  tilted  back  on  his 
head,  and  his  broad  clean-shaven  face  set  be- 
tween grimness  and  coolness. 

We  made  good  way,  and  got  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Lundy  towards  dusk.  The  fishing  smack 
had  had  several  hours  start  of  us,  and  conse- 
quently should  already  have  arrived  at  her  des- 
tination, if  the  island  was  her  destination.  Of 
that  we  were  by  no  means  certain.  Yet  I  had 
additional  reasons  for  supposing  it  to  be.  Had 
the  Mermaid  been  lying  off  the  coast  either 
of  North  Cornwall  or  Devon,  Alston  would  not 
have  taken  to  the  sea,  which  he  disliked,  at  Pad- 
stow,  but  would  have  driven  northwards  or 
southwards  to  an  easier  point  of  departure.  And 
after  all,  Lundy  was  a  likely  place  of  rendezvous. 
So  I  headed  for  Lundy  in  the  hope  of  finding  my 
calculations  accurate.  The  first  thing  that  gave 
me  confidence  was  the  sight  of  a  single  fishing- 
smack  in  the  gloaming,  tacking  for  the  mainland. 
Neither  Butterfield  nor  Rudgwick  could  say  if 
this  were  the  boat  in  which  Alston  had  sailed, 
having  no  instinct  of  the  sea,  but  I  was  convinced 
in  my  heart  that  it  was  so.  The  fugitives  had 
been  transhipped,  and  the  smack  was  returning 
to  Padstow. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  353 

We  sighted  the  island  in  the  growing  darkness, 
but  I  fetched  up  towards  the  north,  leaving  it  on 
my  port.  A  few  lights  rode  in  the  offing,  and 
betrayed  the  presence  of  shipping,  but  there  was 
no  sign  of  the  schooner. 

"You're  in  the  ditch  now,"  remarked  Rudg- 
wick,  when  this  was  apparent. 

"No,"  said  I,  "not  yet,  and  don't  mean  to  be. 
What's  Alston  going  to  do,  when  he  meets  the 
Mermaid f  He  can't  set  his  sails  for  America; 
I  doubt  if  he  can  even  venture  on  Ireland,  if  what 
you  say  about  the  provisioning  holds.  He's  got 
to  get  to  land  somewhere  on  this  coast,  and 
Lundy's  a  good  jumping-off  place.  If  he  thinks 
he's  given  you  the  slip  (and  he  very  well  may) 
he  won't  take  great  pains  to  hide  his  movements. 
Why  should  he  ?  He  can  make  a  dash  for  it,  and 
bring  off  what  he  wants  almost  anywhere.  That's 
how  he  will  look  at  it.  He'll  pick  up  the  schooner, 
and  go — well,  north  maybe,  certainly  not  back  to 
Padstow. " 

"That  sounds  sense,"  observed  Rudgwick. 
"But  that  doesn't  bring  us  on  to  him." 

"A  sailor  would  see  it  as  plain  as  a  mast,"  I 
said  sarcastically.  "But  you  only  own  sailors." 

"  No,  by  God,  I  don't, "  he  said  good-humouredly 
enough.  "They  own  my  vessel." 

I  justified  myself  to  him  before  long  by  picking 
up  the  trail,  mainly  by  accident.  I  was  fully 


354  THE  PRIVATEERS 

confident  that  I  could  bring  up  at  the  same  port 
as  the  schooner  sooner  or  later,  but  chance  fa- 
voured me,  and  it  was  sooner.  The  rake  of  her 
masts  was  unmistakable  in  the  luminous  night, 
and  I  guessed  that  she  was  making  for  the  land 
as  fast  as  her  heels  would  carry  her.  Of  course 
we  were  safe  from  detection,  as  our  lugger  was 
unknown,  and  Alston  would  be  all  unconscious 
that  he  was  still  followed.  Yet  it  would  not  do 
to  take  risks,  and  so  I  kept  the  boat  on  a  parallel 
course  at  a  good  distance ;  and  we  both  raced  for 
harbour,  but  for  what  harbour  I  knew  not. 

A  moon  broke  out  a  little  later,  and  I  was 
able  presently  to  conjecture  whither  we  were 
bound. 

The  schooner,  trim  and  graceful  with  her  dandy 
airs,  was  cantering  under  a  brisk  wind,  all  frills 
on,  and  our  lubberly  lugger  ploughed  after  her, 
like  a  cart-horse,  but  a  cart-horse  with  speed. 
There  was  no  question  by  this  time  that  Alston 
designed  to  enter  the  Severn  estuary  and  utilise 
one  of  the  innumerable  refuges  on  the  shores, 
from  Cardiff,  it  might  be,  to  Bristol.  The  range 
was  ample.  I  told  Rudgwick  so,  and  he  pon- 
dered. 

"Can  we  hold  him?"  he  asked. 

"In  this  wind,  yes,"  I  said.  "But  not  in 
beating  up." 

"Well,  this  wind's  got  to  go  on,"  was  all  he 


THE  PRIVATEERS  355 

remarked,  as  if  he  had  authority  over  the  ele- 
ments, and  could  operate  them  as  he  operated 
a  stock. 

Yet  the  wind  did  hold,  at  least,  for  a  time,  as 
you  shall  hear ;  and,  parted  by  scarcely  a  mile  of 
heaving  water,  schooner  and  lugger,  quarry  and 
hound,  swung  into  the  open  estuary. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

ALSTON  AT  BAY 

THE  wind  held  till  dawn  and  then  died  away, 
leaving  us  to  struggle  along  in  an  unequal  en- 
counter. Rudgwick,  understanding  none  of  the 
details  of  seamanship,  looked  on  indifferently, 
and  it  was  I  who  fumed  at  heart.  I  know  that 
if  he  had  recognised  how  things  were  going  he 
would  have  shown  his  ugly  side ;  but  he  had  faith 
in  me,  and  that  and  ignorance  kept  him  cheerful. 
I  never  did  see  Rudgwick  really  "nasty,"  but 
one  was  always  conscious  that  he  could  be,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  he  had  often  been.  While  en- 
gaged in  his  fight,  and  while  that  fight  hung  in 
the  balance  he  kept  an  equable  temper ;  but  I  did 
not  know  how  he  would  lose.  He  would  certainly 
be  restrained  in  defeat  neither  by  justice  nor 
generosity. 

But  luckily  he  had  not  to  discover  the  weak- 
ness of  the  lugger  in  that  light  wind;  for  before 
my  astounded  eyes  the  schooner  made  a  board 
unexpectedly,  and  began  to  draw  in  to  shore. 
We  were  off  the  rocky  cliffs  by  Minehead,  and  it 
was  apparent  from  the  new  move  that  Alston 

356 


THE  PRIVATEERS  357 

desired  to  land  there.  So  much  the  better  for 
us;  our  unsuspected  lugger  could  safely  harbour 
there  also.  Rudgwick,  who  had  retired  for  sleep, 
was  awake  by  the  time  we  anchored,  and  was 
greatly  astonished. 

"Got  'em  cornered  right  away,  Kerslake, "  he 
said,  and  then,  staring  at  the  schooner  blackly, 
added,  "Now,  we'll  talk." 

I  shall  certainly  never  forget  the  scene  which 
ensued  between  the  two  men  and  to  which  I 
come  at  once. 

At  six  Rudgwick  announced  his  intention  of 
boarding  the  yacht  and  of  giving  Alston  a  sur- 
prise. The  schooner  lay  anchored  off  the  shore, 
like  the  lugger,  and  at  half  a  mile's  distance ;  and 
the  sun  shone  on  the  smooth  water  between  us. 
Rudgwick,  Butterfield  and  myself  were  pulled 
across  by  two  of  our  hands,  and  as  we  came  up, 
the  figure  of  a  man  was  stooped  over  the  taffrail. 
The  glare  from  the  sea  was  in  my  eyes,  so  that  I 
could  not  recognise  him,  but  I  was  aware  that  he 
had  suddenly  stood  up  and  walked  hurriedly  away. 
Then  we  ran  alongside,  and  scrambled  on  deck. 

Alston  himself  met  us,  and,  if  it  were  not  too 
preposterous  a  phrase  in  the  circumstances,  I 
should  say  welcomed  us.  Someone  had  hastily 
warned  him  of  the  approach,  and  he  was  able 
to  pull  himself  together,  and  take  it  this  way. 
The  man  was  amazing. 


358  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"I  take  it  very  friendly  of  you,  Wilson,"  he 
remarked  with  his  even  smile,  "coming  aboard 
like  this.  Guess  it  reminds  me  of  a  surprise 
party  away  home.  Lieutenant,  I  don't  forget  to 
ask  after  your  leg." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Rudgwick  grimly. 
"  We'll  push  business  through  before  we  come  to 
compliments,  if  you  don't  mind,  Fordyce.  There's 
a  hell  of  a  lot  between  us.  Can't  you  manage  a 
little  privacy  on  this  yacht  of  yours?" 

Alston  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  led 
the  way  towards  the  deck-cabins  which  I  remem- 
bered so  well.  There  was  no  other  person  visible 
anywhere,  save  a  man  cleaning  a  lamp  forward. 
Rudgwick  took  a  seat  in  the  cabin  that  had  been 
his  office,  and  grinned. 

"Jude  all  right?"  he  asked,  setting  aside  his 
yachting  cap. 

"  He  don't  enjoy  bad  health  much,"  said  Alston. 

"That's  all  right,  anyway, "  pursued  Rudgwick. 
"  I  daresay  I'll  be  seeing  him  later.  In  the  mean- 
time you'll  do,  Fordyce.  I  like  to  open  with  the 
principal.  Now,  it's  been  a  considerable  long 
chase,  but  we've  come  in  on  the  winning-post, 
and  we'll  be  obliged  to  you  for  a  chat  with  that 
charming  ward  of  yours,  whose  society  you  have 
monopolised  too  long.  At  least  that's  my  feeling, 
and  I  think  it's  Mr.  Kerslake's." 

"You  will  recognise,  Wilson,"  said  Alston  im- 


THE  PRIVATEERS  359 

perturbably,  "that  I  can't  coerce  any  lady.  If 
she  likes  to  entertain  you  for  an  hour's  chat,  she's 
welcome. " 

"Then  I  reckon,  we'll  wait  here  until  she 
comes,"  said  Rudgwick  bluntly. 

"I'll  make  a  point  of  finding  out,"  said  Alston 
rising,  and  he  left  the  cabin. 

"This  is  no  good,"  said  I  to  Rudgwick.  "It 
will  get  us  no  farther." 

"My  son,  we're  in  a  law-abiding  country,  as 
you  have  several  times  reminded  me, "  said  Rudg- 
wick dryly,  "and  we've  got  proprieties  to  observe. 
I  may  not  handle  a  ship,  but  I  know  how  to 
operate,  and  I'm  going  to  carry  through  these 
negotiations,  not  you." 

I  made  no  remonstrance,  for  Alston  returned 
just  then. 

"I  regret,"  he  said  amiably,  "that  Miss  Lovell 
is  disinclined  for  society  so  early." 

"  Very  well  then ;  we'll  come  along  a  little  later," 
declared  Rudgwick. 

Alston  smiled  in  his  face.  I  think  he  was 
quite  confident  of  himself  now. 

"I  can't  honestly  say  she  will  be  able  to  see 
anyone  today,"  he  remarked. 

"Afternoon  tea,  Fordyce?"  suggested  Rudg- 
wick. 

"Miss  Lovell's  not  up  to  the  mark,"  replied 
Alston  with  a  detached  air  of  sympathy,  "and  I 


360  THE  PRIVATEERS 

guess    she   won't   be   taking  afternoon    tea   to- 
day." 

"That  so?"  Rudgwick scratched  a  hand  thought- 
fully, and  his  jaw  thickened.  "Well,  I'm  sorry 
the  lady's  indisposed,  for  she  can't  very  well  be 
left  out  of  these  considerations."  He  was  tired 
of  the  preliminaries,  as  I  could  see.  Alston  was 
of  a  nature  to  parley  for  a  long  time,  and  to  enjoy 
it.  Rudgwick  with  his  blunter  ways  broke  out, 
"  I  don't  care  if  you  keep  that  girl  or  not,  Fordyce, 
but  we've  got  to  see  her  right  away." 

The  smile  was  still  on  Alston's  face.  "  Really !" 
he  said. 

"  You  don't  seem  to  understand  the  position, " 
went  on  Rudgwick  slowly.  "You're  calculating 
to  marry  this  girl,  and  we're  going  to  stop  that. 
We  don't  think  you  a  suitable  match,  anyway; 
and  we're  just  going  to  tell  the  young  lady  so  in 
the  hope  that  she'll  take  our  view  as  disinterested 
parties. " 

"  I  don't  think  she  would, "  said  Alston  lightly. 
"  Women  have  prejudices  and  prepossessions ;  and 
she's  not  likely  to  feel  any  great  trust  in  gentle- 
men who  have  been  persecuting  her  for  days. 
Still  I'm  open  to  conviction,  and  you  can  try." 

"I  think  that  try  will  come  off,  Fordyce," 
said  Rudgwick,  gravely.  "You  think  you've 
got  the  bulge  on  me  because  you're  in  possession. 
That  tale  about  nine  points  of  the  law  is  damn 


'I  don't  care  if  you  Keep  that  girl  or  not.  Fordyce,  but 
we've  got  to  see  her  right  away'" 


THE  PRIVATEERS  361 

nonsense.  You  ought  to  be  smart  enough  to 
know  that.  The  law  ain't  anything,  anyway. 
See;  I'll  let  you  know  plain.  I'm  going  to  use 
habeas  corpus.  You've  got  a  young  lady  stowed 
away,  and  you're  going  to  produce  her,  and  I'll 
show  you  why.  I  needn't  tell  you  my  way, 
Fordyce.  I  guess  you  know  I  don't  talk  through 
my  hat.  Here's  three  affidavits  that  get  you 
two  ways,  my  son.  In  the  first  place  you  stole 
my  yacht,  and  the  lieutenant  here  and  Butterfield 
depose  to  that.  That  fixes  you  here,  my  son. 
You  know  my  ways,  and  what  I  can  do  on  the 
end  of  a  wire.  I'll  undertake  to  fix  it  all  up  in 
this  tin-pot  village  yonder  in  an  hour.  That 
freezes  you  here,  Fordyce.  You  can't  get  away. 
I  guess  you're  waterlogged  here." 

Alston's  smile  was  still  a  smile,  and  he  glanced 
at  us  all  three.  "  This  is  getting  mighty  interest- 
ing,"  he  said.  "Wilson  Rudgwick  standing  by 
the  law  and  invoking  its  aid." 

"I'll  invoke  anything  to  get  even, "  said  Rudg- 
wick bluffly,  "You're  fastened,  boy.  You're 
regularly  nailed.  If  you  make  a  bolt  for  it,  we 
can  run  you  down."  He  nodded  outwards  as  if 
he  would  indicate  the  lugger.  "We  hold  you." 

Alston  was  no  sailor,  as  I  have  said,  and  no 
doubt  he  was  taken  in  by  this  piece  of  bluff.  The 
smile  for  a  moment  lifted,  and  I  wondered  if  it 
had  been  real. 


362  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Well,  say  I'm  anchored  here.  What's  that 
amount  to?" 

"It  won't  work,  Fordyce, "  said  Rudgwick, 
shaking  his  head.  "  You're  at  bay,  but  you  can't 
do  anything.  I  guess  a  man  may  be  dangerous 
when  he's  at  bay,  but  we  hold  you  too  tight. 
Here's  the  next  item  in  the  menu.  These  affi- 
davits witness  that  you  have  run  away  with  a 
young  lady  and  hold  her  captive  against  her  will." 

"Pardon  me,  Wilson,  with  her  own  consent — 
the  lady  whom  I  rescued  from  a  rascal  of  a  kid- 
napper, and  who  is  to  marry  me." 

"You  may,  if  you  like,  demonstrate  that," 
said  the  other.  "I'm  taking  no  interest  in  events 
so  remote.  All  I  want  I  get,  and  that  is  a  little 
talk  with  the  lady.  That  move  with  the  affida- 
vits gives  me  that.  See?  By  God,  Fordyce 
Alston,  you  played  me  false,  and  I'm  going  to 
squelch  you,  crack  you  like  a  flea,"  and  Rudg- 
wick, black  and  hard  of  face,  thundered  on  the 
table  with  his  fist. 

"You  make  me  tired,  Wilson,"  said  Alston, 
recovering  his  smile.  "You're  not  first  hero  in 
a  melodrama.  Anyway,  Miss  Lovell's  not  well 
enough  to  receive  visitors. "  He  rose,  and  Rudg- 
wick rose,  all  signs  of  his  anger  gone. 

"Nice  little  crib  of  yours,  Fordyce,"  he  re- 
marked. "  I  guess  this  runs  you  into  something 
like  300  dollars  a  day,  don't  it?"  He  went  out. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  363 

"If  I  was  you,  Fordyce,"  he  threw  over  his 
shoulder,  "  I'd  make  certain  of  Jude.  He's  nasty, 
is  Jude.  I  don't  hand  him  overwith  testimonials." 

The  deck  was  clear  still,  for  Jude  had  not  dared 
to  face  the  master  whom  he  had  betrayed.  It 
was  Alston  who  showed  us  over  the  side,  and  who 
watched  us  pull  away  in  the  morning  sunlight. 
He  waved  a  hand  in  farewell.  I  wondered  if  he 
were  still  as  sure  of  himself  and  of  his  triumph. 

Our  game,  as  outlined  forcibly  by  Rudgwick, 
seemed  safe  enough.  The  only  danger  lay  in  the 
inferior  speed  of  the  lugger  in  the  prevailing  wind, 
for  it  was  possible,  even  probable,  that  Jude 
would  undeceive  Alston  in  regard  to  the  practi- 
cability of  being  overtaken.  There  was  our  weak 
point,  and  it  might  prove  fatal.  But  it  did  not 
disturb  Rudgwick  who  was  in  good  humour  from 
his  interview. 

"If  his  crew  had  been  mine  I  would  have 
forced  it  through,"  he  said.  "But  these  fellows 
are  no  good  for  an  affair  of  that  sort.  I've  no 
use  for  them." 

Certainly  force  was  out  of  the  question;  the 
battle  now  was  to  diplomacy,  and  Rudgwick 
went  ashore  at  once  to  start  his  operations. 
What  he  did  I  do  not  know,  for  I  did  not  inquire 
what  he  intended,  and  the  subsequent  turn  of 
events  rendered  it  unnecessary.  But  he  was  a 
magnate  in  command  of  agents  everywhere,  and 


364  THE  PRIVATEERS 

able  to  say  to  this  man  "  Go  "  and  he  would  go,  or 
to  that  "Come"  and  he  would  come.  I  concluded 
he  set  his  machinery  going.  Both  he  and  Alston 
were  ignorant  of  English  methods,  and  I  suppose 
they  imagined  that  a  wealthy  man  could  expedite 
the  processes  of  the  law,  and  possibly  have  a  sher- 
iff to  seize  the  Mermaid  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours. 

Meanwhile  I  kept  watch  over  the  schooner, 
lest  Alston  should  make  another  attempt  to  get 
away,  such  as  almost  had  succeeded  on  the  Cornish 
coast.  It  must  have  been  half-way  through  the 
morning,  when  I  descried  a  little  boat  putting  off 
from  the  yacht.  It  departed  without  ostenta- 
tion, with  an  unobtrusive  air  which  at  once  at- 
tracted my  attention.  At  once  I  had  the  lugger's 
boat  dropped,  and  was  pulled  ashore,  landing 
immediately  in  the  wake  of  the  party.  Alston 
hailed  me,  but  nowhere  was  Miss  Lovell  visible. 
Two  of  Jude's  ruffianly  hands  grinned  familiarly 
at  me,  and  I  could  not  but  feel  that,  were  it  not 
for  the  implication  of  Miss  Lovell  in  the  plot, 
Rudgwick  was  well  served  for  employing  such  a 
gang.  They  had  been  used  to  do  his  dirty  work ; 
and  now  they  were  doing  Alston's. 

"  Well  met  on  theRialto ! "  cried  Alston  cheerily. 
"  We  seem  bound  to  knock  up  against  each  other. 
How's  Wilson?" 

Without  waiting  for  an  answer,  he  ascended 


THE  PRIVATEERS  365 

the  shore  and  began  to  walk  briskly  towards  the 
houses  of  the  village.  The  sea  rolled  gently  on 
the  sands  of  that  small  indentation,  and  some 
cottages  straggled  down  towards  the  flat  of  the 
shore.  But  farther  away  the  village  straggled 
upwards  into  the  small  valley  at  the  back  of  which 
rose  the  bleak  uplands  of  Exmoor.  Alston  walked 
in  a  business-like  way  to  the  chief  inn,  and  after  a 
brief  visit  continued  his  way  to  the  post-office. 
Nearby  he  encountered  Rudgwick,  who  had  evi- 
dently come  from  what  he  called  "the  end  of  the 
wire."  They  exchanged  salutations,  Alston  re- 
marking on  the  warmth  of  the  day,  and  Rudgwick 
on  the  slowness  of  English  telegraph  operators. 
He  stood  and  watched  Alston  go  towards  the 
post-office. 

"He's  all  right,"  he  observed  casually  to  me. 
"He's  got  something  in  his  head;  I  can  tell  from 
the  way  he  wags  it.  But  if  he  wants  to  cable 
any,  I've  fixed  him  up  a  bit.  I  guess  he  won't 
get  on  to  the  other  end  inside  some  time.  I've 
left  that  operator  telegraphing  the  Book  of  Eccle- 
siastes  for  me.  That's  a  good  old  wheeze." 

He  turned,  nodded  to  me,  and  then  paused. 
"You  keeping  an  eye  on  him?"  he  inquired. 
"  Right  my  son,  I'll  go  bail  for  you.  Well,  he  can't 
get  away  from  the  post-office  yet  awhile.  Let's 
have  a  drink." 

We  went  back  to  the  inn,  and  entered  the  bar- 


366  THE  PRIVATEERS 

parlour,  where  the  landlord  attended  us,  a  pleas- 
ant-faced, cheerful,  smiling  fellow  with  a  rustic 
deliberation.  He  conceived  there  was  some 
deep-laid  humour  in  Rudgwick's  remarks,  and 
smiled  increasingly  and  vaguely  at  them,  but 
was  in  his  sphere  and  his  depth  when  it  came  to 
local  inquiries. 

It  suited  me  to  remain  at  the  inn  which  com- 
manded a  view  of  the  village  street  and  the  bay, 
particularly  as  Alston  also  chose  it  as  his  head- 
quarters. Rudgwick  strolled  about  the  place, 
smoking  cigars,  extravagantly  naval  in  appear- 
ance and  rig.  Butterfield  had  been  left  aboard. 
A  Sabbatarian  calm  rested  over  the  village, 
though  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  Saturday.  Cer- 
tainly no  one  would  have  dreamed  that  these  two 
quiet  and  inoffensive  American  gentlemen  were 
sworn  enemies,  and  engaged  in  a  desperate  duel 
that  might  spell  ruin  to  one  at  least.  Alston 
read  a  local  paper,  as  if  it  interested  him,  but  I 
conceive  that  he  was  only  waiting  there  to  be 
convenient  to  the  telegraph  office.  He  was 
amiable  as  he  always  showed  himself,  talked  a 
little  to  me,  and  occasionally  at  me,  as  if  it  were 
a  joke  which  amused  him,  and  yawned  and  con- 
sulted his  watch,  and  finally  invited  me  to  lunch 
with  him. 

"It's  a  dreary  business  this  hanging  around," 
he  said.  "Wilson's  right  about  these  post-offices 


THE  PRIVATEERS  367 

of  yours.  Say,  that  was  a  neat  idea  of  his, 
keeping  the  operator  going.  It  was  a  bully  idea. 
It's  made  a  difference." 

He  came  to  a  pause  abruptly,  as  a  messenger 
boy  entered.  He  put  out  a  hand  and  took  the 
telegram,  opened  it  and  read. 

"No  answer,"  he  said  to  the  boy,  and  then 
looked  across  at  me.  "You  can  have  a  copy  of 
this  if  you  like  Kerslake.  Wilson  might  find  it 
useful;  save  him  trouble." 

He  handed  it  to  me,  and  I  read  it.  It  was 
signed  Lovell,  and  stated  that  Mr.  Fordyce  Alston 
was  authorised  by  the  signer  to  undertake  the 
guardianship  of  her  daughter  and  to  bring  her 
back  to  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

"That  disposes  of  a  good  bit,"  said  Alston, 
nodding  at  it  when  he  saw  I  had  finished.  "That 
wipes  some  of  Wilson  out. "  He  folded  the  paper, 
put  it  in  his  pocket,  and  strolled  out  carelessly. 
I  followed.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  in  touch 
with  so  bright  a  gentleman  as  this.  He  walked 
up  the  village  towards  the  church,  and  leaned 
over  the  stone  wall  and  contemplated  it. 

"Say,  Kerslake,"  he  called  without  looking 
round.  "What's  the  matter  with  being  my  best 
man,  eh?" 

He  walked  up  to  the  porch  and  studied  the 
notices  on  the  door;  then  he  turned  off  towards 
the  vicarage,  which  was  entered  from  the  church- 


368  THE  PRIVATEERS 

yard.  He  disappeared  within  the  gates,  and  I 
waited  outside. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  elapsed  before  he  returned, 
when  he  approached  me  jauntily. 

"This  job  don't  really  suit  you,  Kerslake. 
You're  not  a  born  spy.  You  were  cut  out  for 
higher  work;  take  my  word  for  it.  Still,  it  don't 
nutter  me  much ;  so  come  along  and  have  lunch. " 

That  invitation,  of  course,  I  declined;  I  ate 
with  Butterfield,  who  had  landed  to  bring  news 
of  the  schooner.  She  was  lying  leisurely  at 
anchor,  but  some  boats  had  gone  off  to  her,  and 
Butterfield  was  of  opinion  that  she  was  being 
provisioned. 

"Never  mind,  we  can't  help  that,"  I  told  him. 
"As  long  as  we've  got  the  man  under  our  hands 
we're  all  right." 

Butterfield,  who  was  excited  and  ill  at  ease, 
was  anxious  to  get  back,  and  left  me  with  all 
despatch,  but  he  did  not  succeed  in  returning  as 
he  expected,  for  he  met  Rudgwick,  as  you  shall 
hear,  who  sent  him  on  an  errand.  Alston  left 
the  inn  about  three,  and  set  out  up  the  valley, 
as  if  to  explore  it  after  the  fashion  of  an  ordinary 
tourist.  I  made  after  him.  He  recognised  my 
duty  which  was  that  of  sentinel,  a  watch-dog. 
There  was  no  need  of  pretence  or  concealment. 

Butterfield  hove  into  view  as  I  got  to  the 
corner  of  the  street,  and  I  waited  for  him.  It 


THE  PRIVATEERS  369 

was  then  I  learned  that  Rudgwick  had  prevented 
his  return  to  the  lugger,  and  I  told  him  my  news. 
As  we  spoke  together  Rudgwick  came  up  the 
street,  and  we  three  conferred  in  the  heart  of  the 
little  village.  Rudgwick  had  of  course,  by  this 
time  heard  my  news  about  the  telegram. 

"That  leaves  the  other  part  of  my  scheme 
more  urgent,"  said  he.  "Blamed  if  these  fools 
can  be  hurried  up." 

"Well,  we've  got  him  safe  for  the  present," 
I  said.  "  I  don't  know  why  he  hangs  about  here, 
instead  of  making  a  dash  for  it." 

Rudgwick  looked  up  the  valley,  where  Alston's 
tall  figure  was  visible  mounting  the  road. 

"Your  leg  well  enough  for  that  game?"  he 
asked ;  and  I  told  him  it  was  good  enough  to  walk 
down  Alston  even  if  he  were  to  give  me  a  lead 
across  Exmoor.  I  was  always  an  admirable 
walker,  and  I  hardly  felt  any  inconvenience  from 
the  wound,  save  a  little  soreness. 

Rudgwick  pondered  in  his  brooding  way. 
"Guess,  you  know  Alston  doesn't  wear  kid 
gloves? "he  said.  "Best  take  Butterfield. " 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  a  fool, "  I  answered."  I'm  armed, 
but  if  you'll  spare  Butterfield  I'll  take  him  along." 
He  nodded.  "Look  here,  Butterfield,"  I  said. 
"I'll  keep  him  in  sight,  and  no  more,  and  I  want 
you  just  to  keep  me  in  sight,  and  no  more.  Do 
you  see?  Make  believe  you're  spy  on  me.  It 


370  THE  PRIVATEERS 

may  come  in  useful,  that  he  should  think  I'm 
the  only  one." 

Rudgwick  nodded  again.  "That's  a  great 
scheme.  Butterfield  you  mark  that,  and  get  a 
move  on  you." 

Thus  it  came  about  that  we  went  up  the  valley, 
in  a  queue,  Alston  leading  by  a  good  stretch, 
myself  in  the  middle  and  Butterfield  bringing  up 
the  rear.  The  way  our  leader  took  us  lay  along 
a  hillside,  and  soon  began  to  climb  out  of  the 
inhabited  regions  of  the  valley.  The  heights 
grew  barren  and  wilder,  and  the  prospect  of  the 
sea  widened  below  us.  From  time  to  time  Alston 
paused  and  looked  around,  as  if  he  were  admiring 
the  scenery.  But  I  knew  he  knew  I  was  behind 
him,  and  it  may  have  been  that  he  wanted  to  be 
sure  of  my  whereabouts.  He  had  probably 
sighted  me  at  times,  but  of  that  I  could  not  be 
sure.  Presently,  after  one  of  his  pauses  he  left 
the  road  and  began  to  go  down  the  rough  hillside 
towards  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  In  this  direc- 
tion there  was  arable  land,  green  with  corn,  and 
watered  by  a  little  stream  that  flowed  through 
it  to  the  sea. 

I  turned  off  the  road  before  I  reached  the  spot 
at  which  he  had  digressed,  and  so,  with  little  at- 
tempt now  to  hide  myself,  made  down  towards  the 
meadows  and  the  cornlands.  When  I  had  reached 
the  bottom  I  looked  back,  but  Butterfield,  who 


THE  PRIVATEERS  371 

had  been  carefully  following  my  instructions,  was 
not  in  sight.  I  continued,  and  traced  Alston  to 
the  stream.  This  he  followed  upwards  again, 
seemingly  without  purpose,  until  he  had  mounted 
a  rise  at  the  head  of  the  valley  and  was  once  more 
at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  sea.  Here 
off  a  lane  with  low  hedges  a  windmill  reared 
itself.  Alston  entered  the  mill. 

It  stood  silent,  its  arms  motionless,  in  arrest, 
though  a  brisk  wind  was  blowing  on  the  hill.  I 
remember  remarking  that,  and  rejoicing  to  think 
that  the  lugger  would  now  not  be  at  such  a  dis- 
advantage compared  with  the  schooner.  Alston 
did  not  reappear.  A  little  way  off  was  a  cottage, 
but  if  the  mill  was  still  in  use  it  had  ceased  work 
on  this  Saturday  afternoon.  I  wondered  what 
had  brought  Alston  here,  and  concluded  it  might 
even  be  mere  deviltry,  to  make  sport  of  me.  But 
that  was  hardly  in  keeping  with  his  character, 
which  was  that  of  a  man  who  takes  the  shortest 
cut  to  his  end.  I  waited  some  time  and  then  I 
approached  the  windmill,  for  it  had  occurred  to 
me  that  there  might  be  a  backway  out,  and  a 
jumble  of  sheds  behind  might  have  concealed 
Alston's  retreat  from  it.  I  peered  in  through 
the  door  which  was  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps, 
but  could  make  out  nothing;  and  so  I  mounted 
slowly. 

It  may  be  that  my  very  deliberation  was  my 


372  THE  PRIVATEERS 

undoing,  and  that  if  I  had  taken  the  intervening 
space  at  a  run  I  should  have  escaped.  The  plain 
fact  is  that  ere  I  had  reached  the  topmost  rung 
of  the  ladder  I  was  suddenly  conscious  of  a  creak- 
ing and  then  I  was  knocked  senseless. 

I  came  to,  with  a  dizzy  head,  that  ached  beyond 
bearing,  and  Alston  was  stooping  over  me.  Only 
vaguely  conscious,  I  was  aware  that  my  limbs 
were  cramped  and  that  I  could  not  stir. 

"It  was  a  pretty  hard  hit,"  remarked  Alston 
in  a  professional  way. 

"What — what  was  it?"  I  asked  stupidly. 

"Well,  you  see  you  were  foolish  enough  to  get 
in  the  way  of  the  sails,"  he  said.  "And  so  I've 
brought  you  in  to  recover  from  the  nasty  knock 
you  got." 

He  opened  the  door  as  he  spoke,  nodded  and 
left  me,  closing  it  behind  him.  My  heart  sank. 
He  had  worsted  me  again.  Like  a  fool,  and  as 
if  I  had  had  no  experience  of  the  man,  I  had 
walked  into  his  trap  as  mild  as  a  lamb.  He  had 
released  the  windsails  when  he  saw  me  mounting, 
and  they  had  done  his  work  for  him  effectually. 
I  wondered  dully  why  they  had  not  knocked  me 
clean  out  of  life  altogether. 

But  sensation  flowed  back  on  me  slowly,  and 
I  grew  alive  to  the  full  environment  of  my  posi- 
tion; and  immediately  on  that  followed  the 
memory  of  Butterfield.  How  fortunate  it  was 


THE  PRIVATEERS  373 

that  I  had  arranged  for  him  to  dog  my  steps! 
Aching  and  sore  as  I  was,  there  was  still  consola- 
tion in  the  thought  that  my  release  was  but  the 
affair  of  a  few  minutes.  And  then  I  realised  how 
I  was  confined.  I  was  muffled  to  the  neck  in  an 
empty  bag,  which  was  tied  securely  about  me 
there  and  held  me  helpless.  However,  I  was  not 
going  to  struggle,  to  kick  futilely  against  the 
pricks.  I  would  await  Butterfield's  arrival  with 
what  patience  I  might,  and  turn  over  the  situa- 
tion afresh  in  my  mind. 

It  was  clear  that  Alston  had  deliberately  en- 
trapped me,  and  in  consequence  he  must  have  a 
strong  reason  for  wishing  to  throw  me  off  his  track. 

Yet  even  rid  of  me  he  would  have  two  others, 
as  implacable  as  I,  to  hunt  him  down,  unless  he 
intended  to  isolate  us  and  destroy  our  force  in 
detail.  I  puzzled  my  head,  as  I  lay  in  that  un- 
dignified heap  on  the  floor  of  the  mill,  as  to  what 
the  arch-enemy  would  be  doing  now.  Had  he 
gone  back  to  the  schooner  to  bring  Miss  Lovell 
ashore?  Or  was  he  plotting  to  dispose  of  Rudg- 
wick  as  he  had  disposed  of  me? 

In  the  midst  of  these  reflections  there  came  a 
noise,  and  I  recognised  the  sound  of  feet  grating 
on  the  ladder.  A  little  after,  Butterfield's  face 
appeared. 

"By  gosh!"  he  ejaculated.  "He's  done  you 
fair,  he's  fair  done  you." 


374  THE  PRIVATEERS 

He  stooped  over  me  with  a  certain  solicitous 
kindness  which  was  native  to  him,  and  examined 
me.  "He's  a  hell  of  a  fellow,  is  Alston,"  he 
observed.  "He's  a  real  hell  of  a  fellow." 

His  deft  fingers  were  plying  about  the  cord 
which  bound  the  neck  of  the  sack  all  the  time. 

"He's  almost  been  too  much  for  me,"  I  said, 
"and  I've  the  most  infernal  backache." 

"Almost,"  said  Butterfield  contemptuously. 
"I  guess  you  ain't  a  proper  match  for  Fordyce 
Alston.  It  takes  the  three  of  us.  Not  that  the 
boss  couldn't  manage  himself,  but  he  don't  want 
unnecessary  trouble,  and  so  he  stays  more  or  less 
home  and  directs.  Yes,  I  guess  it  takes  all  three 
of  us." 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  it, "  said  Alston's  voice  coolly. 

Butterfield  turned  sharply,  and  then  made  a 
dive,  but  the  man  who  darkened  the  doorway 
stooped  and  caught  him  as  one  catches  a  strug- 
gling child,  and  turning  him  over  put  a  knee  in 
the  small  of  his  back. 

"Don't  wriggle  any,  for  it  might  crack,"  said 
he.  "And  I  don't  want  to  use  more  force  than 
is  necessary.  I  guessed  the  lieutenant  here  might 
have  a  confederate,  and  I'm  damned  if  it  was  a 
bad  idea." 

"All  right,"  gasped  Butterfield,  giving  up. 
"  Let  be.  I  don't  want  to  eat  dirt  more'n  I  can 
help." 


THE  PRIVATEERS  375 

Alston  turned  him  round  deftly  and  groped  at 
a  pile  of  empty  sacks  nearby.  He  had  made  use 
of  this  for  me,  and  I  was  squirming  and  struggling 
in  the  mesh  of  my  prison  helplessly  and  vainly. 

"  I  don't  know  but  I  ought  to  put  you  in  wrong 
way  up,  my  son,"  said  Alston  humourously. 
"  But  right  way  will  do  anyway, "  and  the  mouth 
of  the  sack  yawned  before  the  intended  victim. 
Butterfield  renewed  his  efforts,  kicking  his  feet 
wide,  but  they  were  encased  swiftly  in  a  grip  that 
was  a  vice,  and  the  sack  reached  his  middle. 
Then  he  almost  vanished  in  it  from  his  littleness. 
Alston  laughingly  tied  it  about  his  neck. 

"Calls  to  mind,"  said  he,  "a  kind  of  fairy  tale 
I  used  to  read.  I  don't  right  recollect  it,  but  it 
was  this  sort  of  thing." 

"Spotted  me?"  inquired  Butterfield  ceasing  to 
struggle. 

"  Spotted  you,  Nathaniel,  quite  a  long  way  off, 
and  laid  for  you,  like  Brer  Fox." 

"  You're  pretty  smart, "  admitted  the  little  man 
with  a  sigh. 

Alston  nodded.  He  had  no  time  to  waste  in 
conversations,  compliments  or  ceremonies.  We 
heard  his  feet  rattle  down  the  ladder. 

"This  is  up  against  me,"  said  Butterfield. 
"  I'd  knock  my  head  if  I  could,  but  I  can't.  He 
paused.  "Guess  the  boss  will  do  it  for  me,"  he 
added  pensively. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  LAST  CHASE 

TEN  minutes  passed  ere  Butterfield  gave  up  his 
attempts  to  disengage  himself ;  but  the  sack  was  a 
secure  prison,  and  resisted  all  assaults  on  it.  It 
gave  with  every  movement  of  the  limbs  and  met 
attack  by  retiring.  Alston  had  removed  Butter- 
field's  knife  from  him,  and  I  found  he  had  done 
the  same  by  me;  so  that  though  our  hands  were 
free  we  had  nothing  but  bare  fingers  with  which 
to  cut  through  the  coarse  texture  of  the  sacking. 
With  foot  and  nail  we  fought,  and  gave  up  out  of 
sheer  weariness,  in  order  to  gain  strength  to  renew 
the  combat  later. 

"  I  got  a  bit  of  pencil  which  I'm  figuring  to  work 
on  directly,"  said  Butterfield,  "and  seems  to  me 
there's  a  bit  of  a  hole  my  heel  has  made.  We'll 
have  another  go  directly.  Gosh,  I'm  fair  smoth- 
ered with  flour." 

For  the  unfortunate  little  man  had  been  encased 
in  an  old  sack,  and  his  exertions  had  raised  the 
dust  of  the  flour  of  ages  from  the  web  of  it.  He 
breathed  wearily  and  with  difficulty. 

376 


THE  PRIVATEERS  377 

"Blamed,  if  I  don't  think  I'd  sooner  roll 
myself  to  the  door  and  down  the  steps,  if  it  was 
open." 

It  was  open ;  for  at  that  moment  it  opened,  and 
in  the  half  light  I  recognized  the  new-comer.  It 
was  Rudgwick. 

"This  about  finds  your  limit,  Nathaniel,"  he 
remarked,  and  stooping  with  a  knife  cut  the  cords 
that  confined  both  of  us.  Then  he  stood  up,  a 
sardonic  smile  on  his  face.  "  Get  a  move  on  you, 
now.  There's  no  time  to  waste,  boys.  Fordyce 
has  got  on  his  seven-league  boots." 

With  difficulty  I  got  to  my  feet,  having  extri- 
cated myself  from  the  bag,  and  I  was  amazingly 
sore  and  stiff.  Rudgwick  noted  it. 

"  You  get  most  of  the  kicks,  Kerslake,"  he  said. 
"You're  not  a  lucky  man." 

"  I  am  this  minute,"  I  answered,  "for  I'd  given 
up  hope  of  freedom  for  some  hours.  How  on 
earth  do  you  come  here?" 

"  Why,  your  plan  wasn't  a  bad  one ;  it  showed 
real  statesmanship;  but  it  didn't  go  far  enough. 
There  was  the  making  of  a  good  idea  there.  So 
I  made  it." 

"How?"  I  inquired,  not  understanding. 

"I  followed  Butterfield.  I  was  the  fourth 
wheel.  Fordyce  knew  you,  and  suspected  a 
second,  but  he  wasn't  fly  enough  to  look  for  a 
third." 


378  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"Oh,  the  boss's  all  right,"  said  Butterfield 
admiringly. 

"  Well,  get  along  now, ' '  urged  Rudgwick.  "  For- 
dyce  is  racing  for  the  sea.  I  was  in  two  minds  to 
follow  him,  but  I  guess  this  was  your  privilege," 
and  those  words  and  that  act  of  rescue  coupled 
with  that  renunciation  were,  and  remain,  the  best 
I  knew  of  that  remarkable  man.  He  had  run  the 
risk  of  losing  that  game  to  give  us  our  chance. 

The  one  satisfactory  point  was  that  Alston  did 
not  know  that  Rudgwick  was  not  on  guard,  either 
aboard  the  lugger  or  in  the  village.  What  then 
was  his  object  in  hurrying  back?  We  could  not 
answer  that  question  without  hurrying  back  our- 
selves ;  and  this  we  did,  as  fast  as  my  enfeebled 
state  would  allow  us.  Butterfield  went  on  before 
to  make  inquiries,  and  he  had  succeeded  in  learn- 
ing one  point  ere  Rudgwick  and  I  joined  him. 
Alston  had  returned  to  the  inn  half  an  hour  earlier, 
and  had  then  gone  on  to  the  vicarage.  He  had 
seemed  in  great  haste,  and  had  given  his  orders 
sharply.  To  that  the  affable  but  muddle-headed 
inn-keeper  could  add  nothing.  He  did  not  know 
if  Alston  had  gone  aboard  the  schooner,  which 
lay  in  the  offing,  as  impassive  and  idle  as  ever,  with 
no  sign  of  life,  only  the  American  flag  cracking  in 
the  freshening  breeze.  Inquiries  in  the  village 
failed  to  produce  any  definite  answer ;  but  on  the 
sands  we  learned  more,  namely  that  Alston  had 


THE  PRIVATEERS  379 

put  off  to  the  yacht  and  must  now  be  aboard. 
This  news  was  brought  by  Butterfield,  and  Rudg- 
wick  immediately  hailed  a  boat  and  started  for 
the  lugger,  in  his  factotum's  company,  leaving 
me  to  follow  forthwith.  There  was  just  one  rea- 
son why  I  did  not  go  with  them.  If  Alston  had 
gone  aboard  to  bring  Miss  Lovell  ashore  it  was 
well  that  one  of  us  should  be  there  to  meet  him, 
when  he  landed.  But  I  had  another  thought  also. 
Alston  had  visited  the  vicarage  twice.  Perhaps 
there  some  light  might  be  shed  upon  his  move- 
ments if  I  went  in  the  guise  of  a  friend. 

It  was  at  the  vicarage  I  got  my  surprise.  The 
vicar  was  out,  and,  to  my  pressing  inquiries  on 
the  plea  of  urgency,  came  the  remarkable  state- 
ment that  he  had  left  with  a  tall  gentleman  from 
the  yacht.  Back  I  rushed  in  new  excitement  to 
the  shore,  and  discovered  that  Alston  had  had  for 
companion  in  the  boat  the  parson,  "a  little  fat 
man,"  as  an  eye-witness  volunteered.  I  did  not 
hesitate  now  a  moment  as  to  my  course,  but  was 
speedily  being  rowed  for  the  lugger  with  my 
startling  news. 

Half-way  out  I  saw  the  schooner  shaking  out 
her  sails,  and  I  urged  my  boatman  to  redouble  his 
exertions ;  but  the  crew  were  deft  and  knew  their 
work,  and  by  the  time  I  reached  the  lugger  the 
Mermaid  was  under  way.  I  knew  it  all  now ; 
I  guessed  at  the  last  crafty  plan  of  that  crafty  and 


380  THE  PRIVATEERS 

elusive  brain.  As  he  found  it  impossible  to  marry 
ashore,  he  would  marry  afloat ;  and  by  persuasion, 
no  doubt,  by  the  graces  and  arts  of  his  address,  or 
by  other  means  maybe,  he  had  won  over  the 
parson  of  the  village  to  his  ends.  After  all  it  was 
a  permissible  and  harmless  whim  for  an  American 
millionaire  to  be  married  on  his  yacht  by  special 
license. 

The  lugger  was  in  a  state  of  confusion  when  I 
boarded  her,  for  Rudgwick  was  furious  at  the 
prospect  of  being  defeated  at  last  and  was  show- 
ing his  rough  temper. 

"  He  must  have  found  I  was  ashore  somehow, " 
he  said,  "  and  thinks  to  catch  me  napping.  No, 
by  God,  he  don't,  if  we  run  across  the  Atlantic 
for  it." 

It  was  then  that  I  told  him  my  surmise,  which 
amounted  to  certainty,  and  he  listened  with  an 
ominous  frown. 

"See  here,"  he  declared.  "You've  got  to  get 
every  pound  out  of  this  boat.  That's  your  affair. 
I  guess  you're  no  good  ashore  with  that  game  leg 
and  stuff.  Push  her  along. " 

There  was  no  need  for  his  stimulus:  my  incen- 
tive was  elsewhere.  My  small  crew  answered 
gravely  to  my  call  and  we  had  the  boat  moving  as 
the  schooner  with  her  swelling  spread  of  canvas 
turned  the  promontory.  She  was  running  out 
for  the  Atlantic,  and  the  wind  was  thrashing  from 


THE  PRIVATEERS  381 

the  northwest.  We  followed  half  a  mile  in  her 
rear. 

But  it  was  soon  apparent  that  we  were  no  match 
for  the  runaway.  The  lugger  spread  a  lot  of 
canvas,  and  made  a  good  showing  before  the  wind, 
but  the  yacht  outsailed  her,  and  we  fell  slowly 
astern.  Fortunately  Rudgwick  had  not  built  his 
schooner  for  speed,  but  for  comfort  in  the  first 
place,  and  so  she  was  not  very  light  of  foot.  The 
point  was,  however,  that  she  was  too  light  for  us. 
The  rest  of  the  afternoon  we  struggled  pluckily  on, 
the  gloom  settling  upon  us  all.  Rudgwick's  face 
relapsed  into  a  marmoreal  frown ;  he  smoked  and 
walked  about  and  growled  out  a  few  exchanges 
from  time  to  time.  Seeing  this  depression  Butter- 
field,  if  you  please,  came  to  the  rescue.  The  wind 
was  stiffening  behind,  and  the  sea  was  high,  and 
he  had  turned  a  ghastly  colour;  but,  sensitive  in 
mind  and  body  as  I  knew  him  to  be  to  these 
coincidental  evils,  he  played  the  part  of  comforter 
gallantly. 

"If  she  goes  like  this,"  said  he,  clinging  in  a 
sickly  way  to  the  mast,  "we'll  soon  be  there, 
anyway." 

"Where?"  demanded  Rudgwick  with  a  mono- 
syllabic sarcasm. 

"Oh,  we'll  be  on  top  of  them,"  said  the 
little  man  with  cheerful  fortitude. 

Rudgwick   snorted,    and   deigned   no   answer. 


382  THE  PRIVATEERS 

This  was  he  at  his  worst,  in  an  intelligible,  but  an  un- 
just mood,  the  mood  of  a  man  who  is  accustomed 
to  get  his  own  way,  and  who  has  no  consideration 
for  his  inferiors.  I  knew  he  could  be  a  bully,  and 
I  saw  it  now  in  him.  He  was  openly  rude  and  con- 
temptuous to  his  creature  and  very  bluff  with  me. 

"Can't  this  blamed  Noah's  ark  make  another 
foot,  anyway?"  he  demanded  angrily. 

"No,"  said  I  as  shortly  as  he,  "unless  maybe 
we  were  to  pitch  a  Jonah  overboard." 

He  gave  me  a  look,  and  then  his  face  relaxed 
slightly. 

"  We'd  have  to  decide  who  is  our  Jonah.  I've  a 
notion  myself." 

"So  have  I."  We  grinned  at  each  other,  and 
he  went  off  in  a  little  better  mood  to  rest  in  the 
afterpart. 

We  had  lost  sight  of  the  schooner  for  some  time 
ere  dusk  fell,  and  that  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for 
an  increase  in  the  wind.  It  was  blowing  a  gale 
out  of  the  north,  and  the  sky  was  savage  with 
wrack,  and  ominous  to  a  sailor.  The  water  ran 
higher  every  minute,  and  the  lugger  shipped  seas 
constantly.  But  she  was  stoutly  built  and 
shouldered  her  way  roughly  and  imperturbably 
southwards. 

"We're  going  to  have  a  dirty  night,"  Rudg- 
wick  remarked.  Butterfield  by  this  time  was 
prostrate  below. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  383 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "and  I  must  keep  her  out.  We 
can't  chance  a  lee  shore  in  this  gale." 

"Alston  will  have  to  keep  out  too?"  said  he  in- 
quiringly. I  nodded.  "Well,  it  don't  matter 
where  he  goes  now,"  said  Rudgwick  moodily. 
"  He  can  fix  up  all  right." 

This  touched  me  on  the  raw.  "  Can  he  ?"  I  said 
sharply.  "  You  forget  apparently  that  the  Mer- 
maid sails  under  the  American  flag,  and  in  that 
case  I  don't  believe  a  marriage  would  be  legal." 

"I  guess  Fordyce  would  run  up  a  Union  Jack," 
said  he  dryly. 

"  That  would  make  no  difference,"  I  declared. 

"It  would  persuade  the  parson,"  he  replied  in 
the  same  tone,  "  and  as  for  the  legality  of  the  mar- 
riage, I  guess  the  girl  will  think  so,  and  that's  all 
that  matters." 

Our  eyes  met,  and  I  knew  what  he  meant.  My 
blood  was  hot  within  me.  Could  nothing  save  her? 
In  that  moment  I  was  like  one  possessed  of  a  devil ; 
I  was  in  a  bitter  black  mood,  and  I  had  the  lugger 
put  a  point  nearer  the  coast. 

Proximity  to  that  rugged  shore  became  danger- 
ous on  such  a  night.  The  gale  rising  to  a  hurricane 
shrieked  in  the  sheets,  and  roared  upon  the  canvas 
making  all  Heaven  a  pandemonium  of  sound ;  and 
the  big  water  rolled  and  heaved  threateningly  as  we 
climbed  it.  The  light  kept  coming  and  going ;  for 
the  clouds  in  the  sky,  broken  into  flinders  by  the 


384  THE  PRIVATEERS 

gale,  were  but  rags  that  drove  in  a  panic  across  the 
face  of  the  full  moon,  and  alternated  light  and  twi- 
light. It  was  in  one  of  the  flashes  of  light  that  I 
sighted  the  schooner.  She  was  hull  down,  on  our 
port,  and  it  was  the  rake  of  her  masts  that  I  rec- 
ognized. I  laid  the  lugger  a  little  nearer,  as  near  as 
I  dared,  and  called  Rudgwick.  His  voice  shouted 
out  of  the  contending  elements,  and  when  he 
reached  me,  blown  and  clinging  to  the  lugger's 
side,  I  pointed  out  the  Mermaid. 

His  shout  was  almost  inaudible,  but  I  caught  the 
sense  of  it. 

"  What  the  hell  is  she  doing?" 

The  continuing  moon  gave  us  the  secret.  She 
was  in  some  trouble,  for  her  bows  came  round  to- 
wards us  as  we  gazed,  and  she  lurched  and  tumbled. 

"  Something's  wrong  with  therudder,"  I  shouted. 
"This  looks  serious.  We  must  get  closer.  She'll 
never  live  in  this  sea  with  her  steering  gear  wrong." 

My  heart  was  a  nest  of  fears,  though  I  said  little. 
I  took  the  wheel  myself  and  in  spite  of  the  pro- 
testation of  the  skipper,  laid  the  lugger  direct  for 
the  helpless  schooner.  But  our  light  did  not  serve 
us  long ;  the  sea  was  soon  merged  in  profound  dark- 
ness, and  a  black  pall  covered  the  sky.  Simul- 
taneously rain  began  to  drive,  as  cold  as  ice,  across 
the  summer  night.  The  lugger  laboured  on,  as 
clumsy  and  as  steady  as  an  old  cart-horse.  But  we 
were  galloping  blindly,  now,  and,  had  it  not  been 


THE  PRIVATEERS  385 

that  all  my  terror  was  for  Sylvia  Lovell,  I  should 
have  felt  anxiety  for  ourselves. 

It  was  not  until  out  of  the  blackness  that  sur- 
rounded us  a  thin,  small  light  suddenly  emerged, 
that  I  discovered  we  were  upon  the  schooner ;  and 
instantaneously  I  altered  our  course.  But  the 
heavy  sea  washed  over  the  deck  and  buffeted  us, 
and  the  lugger  groaned  at  the  blow.  I  could  not 
say  to  this  day  exactly  how  it  occurred,  but  it  was 
due  to  the  crippled  condition  of  the  schooner.  She 
must  have  swung  around.  At  any  rate  we  fouled 
her  suddenly  with  a  dull  crash  that  was  unheard 
amid  the  tumult  of  the  water,  but  which  was 
palpable  to  every  other  sense. 

For  some  moments  we  rode  together  as  it  were 
in  an  awful  jumble,  grinding  bulwarks  to  match- 
board; and  overhead  the  moon  gleamed  forth 
again,  revealing  to  me  Alston's  figure,  clutching 
the  deck-house.  Rudgwick  clung  beside  me, 
making  no  movement  or  sound,  and  it  was  at  this 
moment  that  little  Butterfield  made  his  appear- 
ance from  below.  He  was  sicklied  o'er  with 
pallor,  but  a  great  light  shone  on  his  face  to  my 
eyes;  though  it  may  have  been  the  moon  that 
touched  him  with  its  unearthliness.  He  stretched 
an  arm  towards  Alston  and  shouted,  and  climbed 
on  the  bulwarks.  Simultaneously  I  had  been 
seized  with  a  resolution.  Sylvia  Lovell  should 
not  go  down  with  the  wreck  to  a  merciless  grave. 


386  THE  PRIVATEERS 

I  would  make  an  effort  to  set  her  on  board  the 
lugger,  where  at  least  we  had  a  chance  for  our 
lives,  unless  we  had  suffered  too  severely  by  the 
collision. 

I  leaped  over  the  side  and  down  to  the  schoon- 
er's deck,  and  Butterfield  stood  preparing  to 
follow.  At  that  moment,  in  the  full  blaze  of  the 
moon  I  saw  Alston  release  one  hand  and  put  it 
to  his  breast.  A  spurt  of  fire  streamed  from  him, 
but  no  report  was  audible.  There  was  a  whirr 
in  my  face,  and  I  started.  Butterfield  fell  heavily 
back  on  the  lugger. 

I  ran  across  the  slanting  deck  of  the  schooner 
to  the  cabin.  I  had  no  thought  of  Alston, 
only  of  Sylvia ;  and  I  forced  open  the  door, 
but  found  no  one.  Then  it  struck  me  that 
in  such  a  sea  Miss  Lovell  would  have  been 
removed  from  the  deck  cabins  to  the  saloon 
below;  and  I  made  my  way  to  the  companion 
ladder.  The  schooner  pitched  violently,  and  I 
was  conscious  of  several  men  who  were  gathered 
on  the  deck,  and  of  Jude  shouting  and  gesticu- 
lating. Vague  indeterminate  impressions  floated 
in  my  brain,  but  I  had  no  general  sense  of  the 
whole  scene ;  it  was  just  a  nightmare,  disturbed  and 
terrifying. 

But  I  forgot  that  in  that  moment  of  bewildered 
ecstasy  when  I  descended,  and  in  the  centre  of 
the  saloon  Sylvia  Lovell  was  faintly  visible  in 


THE  PRIVATEERS  387 

the  moonlight.  She  ran  into  my  arms  with  a 
cry  that  I  hoped  was  a  cry  of  joy.  Hastily  pulling 
her  with  me  up  the  staircase,  I  cast  my  eyes 
towards  the  lugger,  and  now  beheld  with  dismay 
that  she  was  separated  from  us  by  a  dozen  paces 
of  tumultuous  water.  It  was  impossible  to  get 
back.  My  fortunes  now  were  the  fortunes  of  that 
doomed  schooner. 

I  tore  myself  away  from  Sylvia  and  stumbled 
over  the  deck  to  find  Jude.  He  had  kept  his 
head,  and  his  bull  voice  roared  his  orders.  The 
rudder  had  jammed,  and  the  schooner  was  help- 
less. He  thundered  across  the  seas  at  the  lugger 
which  could  not  hear,  and  then  after  a  time 
turned  to  me. 

"I  guess,  we've  got  to  stand  the  racket,"  he 
shouted. 

Back  I  went  to  the  saloon,  not  seeing  any  sign 
of  Alston  on  my  way;  but  by  this  time  the  light 
was  bad  again.  We  were  adrift  in  a  wild  sea, 
and  we  knew  not  how  near  or  far  were  the  iron 
cliffs  that  had  been  cruel  stepmother  to  so  many 
tall  and  gallant  ships.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
done  save  to  keep  up  our  hearts  and  be  patient. 
If  the  Mermaid  were  doomed  we  could  not  save 
her ;  but  it  might  be  that  she  would  tumble  about 
the  sea  till  the  morning,  or  till  the  gale  blew  itself 
out. 

I  found  Sylvia  awaiting  me  anxiously.     She 


388  THE  PRIVATEERS 

was  worn  and  white  and  troubled  with  all  the 
misery  she  had  undergone.  I  put  my  arms  about 
her  and  so  drew  her  into  that  harbour  of  love. 
"  I  love  you,  I  love  you,  darling, "  I  cried  in  her 
ear,  and  she  clutched  me  tightly,  answering 
nothing.  Yet  that  clutch  was  an  answer.  I 
soothed  her  fears,  and  encouraged  her.  I  made 
her  sit  down,  as  well  as  she  could  in  a  ship  that 
was  forever  tossing  like  a  cork.  I  seized  her 
hand,  and  examined  and  felt  it. 

"No  ring!"  I  cried  exultingly.  "You  are  not 
married!" 

"No,"  she  breathed  deeply  back,  her  face 
against  mine.  "  I  would  not — I  would  not.  He 
was  angry,  but  I  would  not — I  would  not.  I 

would  not  ever  since "  she  broke  off,  and 

shuddered,   and  clung  closer  to  me. 

After  a  time  as  we  sat  there  I  judged  from  the 
motion  that  the  wind  was  abating ;  but  it  was  still 
dark,  and  as  there  were  no  lights  on  the  schooner 
it  was  impossible  to  say  definitely  what  was 
happening.  But  I  seemed  to  hear  better  now 
amid  the  uproar,  and  the  drub  of  the  sea  was 
not  so  deafening.  Then  it  was  that  I  heard  my 
name  in  a  shout,  and  looking  up  saw  Alston 
dimly  at  the  bottom  of  the  companion  ladder. 

' '  Kerslake !  Kerslake !  Come  out  like  a  man ! ' ' 
he  called.  He  could  not  discern  us  in  the  gloom, 
and  he  came  forward  a  step  or  two. 


THE  PRIVATEERS  389 

"Sylvia!     Sylvia!"  he  called.     "Sylvia,  girl!" 

But  we  were  silent.  The  man  was  desperate 
now.  He  had  blood  on  his  hands,  and  his  enter- 
prise had  failed.  He  was  a  ruined  man,  and  he 
knew  it.  Here  he  was  broken  out  in  his  true 
evil  light,  a  desperado,  a  reckless  man,  a  gambler 
with  life  and  death. 

"Sylvia!  Sylvia!"  he  called,  and  silence  an- 
swered; or  rather  the  bellowing  of  the  wind  and 
the  roar  of  the  waves  that  was  that  silence. 

"Kerslake,  you're  a  man,  ain't  you?"  he 
sneered.  "Come  out  and  show  yourself." 

Sylvia  clung  to  me,  as  if  she  would  hold  me  back. 
We  were  like  two  children,  crouching  in  the  dark, 
and  silent  lest  we  should  be  discovered.  A  tiny 
pop  of  sound  broke  through  the  droning  of  the 
gale.  He  laughed,  and  fired  again.  At  bay  with 
Fate  he  made  a  good  loser.  He  came  down  the 
saloon,  and  paused  before  us,  surveying  us  with 
what  feeling  in  his  heart  or  eyes  I  could  not  tell. 
I  put  Sylvia's  trembling  arms  away  from  me  and 
stood  up. 

"  You  called.     What  do  you  want? "  I  asked. 

"Damned  if  I  don't  believe  you're  grit,  Ker- 
slake," he  shouted.  "Anyway  you're  going  to  be 
tested.  I  guess  you've  done  me  out  of  this,  more 
than  Wilson.  Where's  Wilson  in  this,  anyway? 
He  don't  get  what  he  wants.  We're  all  booked, 
Lieutenant." 


390  THE  PRIVATEERS 

"  That's  not  proved,"  I  said. 

"  Anyway,  I'm  booked,  and  I  figure  out  you  are 
too.  Sylvia,  girl,  you  go  away.  Go  right  into  one 
of  those  cabins  there,  with  the  fat  parson  for 
company." 

She  rose  and  swiftly  clung  to  me.  "  No ;  no ;  no ; 
you  must  not,  you  cannot !  Oh,  you  shall  not ! ' ' 

"  Get  along,  girl,  and  no  fuss,"  said  he  abruptly. 
"  Kerslake,  you're  pretty  tough,  and  you  wriggled 
out  of  two  holes.  This,  you  bet,  is  the  third 
and  last  and  biggest." 

He  levelled  his  revolver,  and  Sylvia  dashed 
between  us  in  the  twilight.  He  dropped  his  hand. 

"You'd  never  have  done  that  for  me,  Sylvia, 
girl,"  he  remarked  quite  coolly.  "  The  game's  up. 
Say,  is  that  a  noise  up  aloft? "  He  listened,  and  we 
all  listened.  Then  he  put  his  weapon  in  his  pocket 
and  went  towards  the  companion  ladder,  cling- 
ing to  the  rail  as  he  mounted.  I  held  Sylvia  close 
to  my  heart  a  moment  and  then  followed. 

It  must  have  been  midnight  now,  and  the  loom 
of  the  land  was  on  our  port,  to  which  we  were 
slowly  drifting.  The  wind  had  undoubtedly  gone 
down,  but  the  sea  was  as  heavy  as  ever,  and  we 
bobbed  upon  it  like  a  piece  of  wood.  The  men 
were  engaged  in  firing  rockets,  which  flared  out 
in  the  night,  and  disclosed  the  formidable  cliffs 
which  we  were  approaching.  There  was  not  a  rag 
of  canvas  on  the  schooner,  which  was  merely 


THE  PRIVATEERS  391 

spindrift  in  the  ocean.  Huge  seas  broke  over  her 
and  battered  her;  and  in  the  course  of  this  per- 
sistent assault  some  of  the  hands  had  gone  over- 
board. But  Jude  stuck  steadily  to  his  post,  a 
figure  not  ignoble,  short,  bluff,  and  snub  of  nose, 
but  a  man  and  a  master.  The  rockets  screamed 
and  flared  and  faded  in  the  darkness. 

And  now  we  were  conscious  of  a  light  abeam 
and  knew  there  was  still  hope.  Voices  hailed  us 
out  of  the  night,  and  the  flare  of  a  succeeding 
rocket  showed  us  an  approaching  life-boat. 

"We've  stood  the  racket,  by  God,"  said  Jude 
with  gleaming  eyes. 

But  Alston  who  was  nearby,  said  nothing.  His 
eyes  were  on  the  life-boat. 

I  went  back  to  the  saloon  and  prepared  Sylvia 
for  the  rescue;  and  when  we  got  on  deck  again 
it  was  crowded  with  hands,  and  a  rope  was  being 
made  fast.  By  means  of  this  she  first  of  all 
passed  over  a  cradle  into  safety ;  and,  one  by  one, 
the  work  of  rescue  was  carried  on.  The  sea  was 
now  breaking  persistently  over  the  schooner,  and 
amidships  she  was  continuously  awash.  One 
man  jumping  from  the  forecastle  into  the  waist, 
in  order  to  reach  the  after-deck  where  the  life- 
boat was  at  work,  was  caught  in  the  flood  and 
swept  away  forever.  Alston  had  now  vanished  ; 
and  when  I  myself  reached  the  life-boat  I  looked 
to  see  if  he  was  there ;  but  in  the  confusion  I  could 


392  THE  PRIVATEERS 

not  discover.  Jude  came  across  last  of  all,  and 
the  rest  of  the  crew  had  perished  in  the  ravening 
sea. 

As  the  life-boat  put  off,  the  moon  broke  out 
again  on  a  wild  welter  of  water,  and  disclosed  the 
cliffs  a  hundred  yards  away.  The  nose  of  the 
schooner  was  set  towards  these  as  though  she 
were  bent  on  her  own  destruction,  and  this  was 
her  goal.  A  cry  arose  from  someone  in  the  boat, 
and  we  could  see  now  a  tall  figure,  plainly  visible 
in  the  prow,  under  the  moonlight. 

"Alston!  "I  called  out. 

But  my  voice  couldn't  reach  him.  He  stood 
contemplating,  as  it  seemed,  the  cliffs  on  which 
the  schooner  was  now  rapidly  drifting.  It  did 
not  take  many  minutes.  She  went  ashore  softly, 
quietly,  inaudibly,  just  as  if  she  slipped  on  the 
rocks,  and  crumpled  up  and  went  under.  And 
then  I  saw  nothing  but  the  moon  on  the  tumbling 
white  water. 

The  life-boat  made  its  way  with  difficulty  and 
in  bitter  cold  to  St.  Ives  from  which  station  she 
had  started.  Sylvia  Lovell  lay  in  my  arms  with 
my  coat  about  her  to  keep  her  warm,  just  as  she 
had  lain  (so  long  ago  it  seemed!)  on  that  first 
night  on  the  Breton  moor.  She  was  silent  and  I 
knew  not  what  thoughts  ran  in  her  head.  Mine 
were  strangely  mingled,  and  a  sense  of  the  tragic 
blended  with  that  wonderful  romantic  thrill 


THE  PRIVATEERS  393 

which  her  presence  stirred  in  me.  When  we 
landed  we  were  taken  to  one  of  the  hotels,  and 
hospitably  treated.  And  here  we  were  surprised 
by  Rudgwick,  who,  after  making  inquiries  as  to 
our  whereabouts,  entered  the  room  where  we 
were  resting. 

"  Glad  to  see  you  out  of  it,  Kerslake, "  he  said  in 
his  matter-of-fact  voice.  "  Glad  to  see  Miss  Lovell 
too.  Near  shave?  Where's  Fordyce?" 

"All  that  came  ashore  are  in  the  hotel,"  I 
replied. 

He  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then,  "  Drowned?" 
bluntly. 

"  He  went  ashore  with  the  schooner.  He  could 
have  come  off,"  I  explained  wearily. 

"Say,  Miss  Lovell  would  be  the  better  of  a 
brandy  and  soda,"  he  suggested  watching  her; 
but  she  broke  down  at  that  last  straw. 

"  Oh,  I  want  to  go  home ! "  she  cried  hysterically ; 
and  then,  throwing  her  arms  about  me:  "  I  want 
you  to  come.  Oh,  I  want  you  to  come ! " 

Rudgwick  himself  poured  out  the  brandy,  and  I 
made  her  take  a  little.  He  contemplated  her, 
and  his  face  went  into  a  frown. 

"I  did  the  best  I  could  in  regard  to  you,"  he 
said  presently  in  a  drawling  voice.  "  I  made  your 
man  go  as  fast  as  he  could  for  St.  Ives;  and  he 
didn't  want  much  asking.  And  we  let  the  author- 
ities know  your  position.  But  I  confess  I  hadn't 


394  THE  PRIVATEERS 

many  hopes.  I  thought  I'd  seen  the  last  of  you, 
Kerslake."  He  paused. 

"You  fixed  that  up  all  right?"  he  asked,  with 
eyes  speculative  on  Sylvia. 

"Yes,"  I  said. 

"Bully!"  he  replied.  "By  the  Lord  I'd  given 
you  up,  but  you  win  on  the  post."  He  helped 
himself  to  brandy.  "Well,  young  lady,  you'll 
succeed  in  straightening  out  your  kinks,  thanks  to 
the  lieutenant  here;  and  I  hope  you  bear  no 
animosity,  and  we'll  be  friends." 

Sylvia's  large  eyes  wondered.  "She  knows 
nothing  yet, "  I  said. 

"Guess  you'll  have  a  pickle  of  explanations," 
he  said  dryly. 

"  She  shall  learn  in  time, "  I  said. 

Sylvia  held  my  hand  and  pressed  it  convuls- 
ively. She  trusted  me ;  that  was  enough.  Rudg- 
wick  went  to  the  window  and  looked  out  on  the 
water  where  the  dawn  was  showing.  It  came 
with  a  falling  wind  and  a  plunging  grey  sea. 

"I  have  loved  you  since  first  I  saw  you," 
I  whispered  to  her.  She  pressed  my  hand. 

"  I — I  think  I  loved  you — when  we  were  in  the 
swamp,  but  I  didn't  know  it.  I — only  felt  some- 
thing strange."  That  was  her  return  whisper. 

Rudgwick  came  back. 

"  I  guess  Fordyce  was  a  good  sport.  I  liked  a 
scrap  with  him.  But  it  was  time  he  cleared  his 


THE    PRIVATEERS  395 

account,"  he  said  thoughtfully.  "That  readiness 
with  his  pistol  comes  of  Montana  and  wouldn't 
work  hereabouts."  He  paused.  "I'm  sorry  about 
Nathaniel.  I've  only  got  this  damned  Jude  left. 
Didn't  Butterfield  say  he  had  a  child  somewhere, 
girl  or  boy?  I  forget — anyway,  I'll  make  it 
square.  Yes,  it  was  time  Fordyce  went.  He  was 
always  in  too  much  of  a  hurry." 

He  stopped,  and  his  eyes  twinkled  slightly  as 
he  looked  at  me. 

"I  guess,  Kerslake,  I'll  have  that  voting 
majority  all  right  all  the  same." 

I  said  nothing,  for  I  had  all  that  I  wanted;  I 
had  Sylvia. 


THE    END 


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